What happened
On the evening of 16 July 2010, a domestic scheduled flight operated by South African Express Airways, arriving from O.R. Tambo International Aerodrome, was cleared to land on runway 20 at Kimberley Aerodrome. The aircraft, a De Havilland Dash 8-300 with registration ZS-NLY, was carrying 40 passengers and 4 crew members.
As the aircraft touched down at night, the pilot observed an aardvark on the runway. Shortly after the main landing gear made contact with the surface, the nose landing gear struck the animal. The impact caused the nose gear to collapse backward. The crew immediately broadcast a Mayday call, reporting the gear failure and noting that smoke had begun to fill the cockpit. Despite the nose of the aircraft scraping the asphalt and creating sparks, the pilot managed to maintain the runway centerline, eventually bringing the aircraft to a halt approximately 1,200 meters from the threshold of runway 02.
Following the stoppage, the crew initiated an evacuation via the front left main access door. Aerodrome rescue and fire-fighting personnel arrived promptly to assist the occupants. There were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries reported among the 44 people on board.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the wreckage and the circumstances surrounding the landing. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the lower nose fuselage structure and the nose landing gear. The investigation also reviewed the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, though the units were found to be undamaged.
Investigators also looked into the aerodrome's perimeter security, noting that substantial holes had been dug under the perimeter fence by animals, which also presented a secondary security risk by allowing potential unauthorized access to the airfield.