What happened
On the evening of 23 October 2008, a Beechcraft Baron 58, registration ZS-NAB, was involved in a fatal accident near Phalaborwa, Limpopo. The flight had originally departed from Lanseria Aerodrome earlier that day, carrying four passengers to Kruger Park Gateway Phalaborwa Aerodrome. After a successful daytime arrival and the disembarkation of the passengers, the pilot prepared for a solo return flight to Lanseria.
At approximately 1647Z, under night-time conditions, the pilot took off from Runway 1s in a southerly direction. While performing a right-hand circuit to position for landing, the aircraft entered a steep descent. Witnesses observed the aircraft flying in an unusual pattern, and an engine noise was reported as sounding rough. The aircraft eventually entered a nose-down attitude and struck a tree before impacting the ground. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft and resulted in the death of the pilot.