Piper PA28-140 Accident at Fly Inn Aerodrome (ZS-EXI)

Incident Overview and Flight History On 19 December 2008, a Piper PA28-140 aircraft, registration ZS-EXI, was involved in an accident at Fly Inn Private Aerodrome in Gauteng, South Africa. The aircraft was operating a private flight under visual flight rules (VFR) by day. The pilot, a 23-year-old male holding a commercial pilot license, was the sole occupant. The flight was intended to proceed to Springs Aerodrome. During the takeoff roll from runway 24, the aircraft rotated at 80 knots indicated airspeed. Approximately 20 feet above the runway, the pilot experienced a complete engine failure. The pilot executed a forced landing back onto the runway but was unable to stop before the end of the runway. The aircraft overran the runway by approximately 50 meters into freshly ploughed agricultural land. Upon entering the soft soil, the nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in minor structural damage to the nose section and a propeller strike as the propeller was still rotating. The pilot sustained no injuries.