What happened
On 16 November 2008, a pilot participating in the De Aar Pre XC Open World Series launched from De Aar Aerodrome in the Northern Cape. The flight was intended to route through Colesberg toward the Venterstad area. After passing Colesberg at approximately 1130Z, the pilot made his final radio contact with a fellow competitor.
When the pilot failed to check in that evening, search efforts were initiated. Using mobile phone location data, rescuers narrowed the search area to within 10 km of Venterstad. On the morning of 18 November, the Swing Mistral 4-26 paraglider was spotted from the air on a farm near Beeste Kraal. The pilot was found deceased at the site, having sustained fatal injuries upon impact.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the flight track logs from the pilot's variometer to reconstruct the final moments of the flight. The data revealed that while the initial approach was normal, a sudden deviation to the right occurred during the descent. During this maneuver, the aircraft's speed dropped to 15 km/h, which is below the stall speed of 22 km/h, accompanied by a rapid loss of altitude.
Investigators also reviewed the pilot's recent flying history and equipment. The pilot had been flying extensively in the days leading up to the accident, including a 100 km flight the previous day. The paraglider and all safety gear, including the harness and reserve parachute, were inspected and found to be in good working order with no defects noted.