Piper PA-28-140 Forced Landing at Hartswater Airstrip (ZS-FGO)

Flight History and Accident Sequence On 28 March 2013, a Piper PA-28-140 aeroplane, registration ZS-FGO, was operating a private flight from Eagle Flight Academy at Hartswater Airstrip in the Northern Cape. The pilot-in-command, an 18-year-old private pilot's licence holder, was accompanied by a passenger. During the second circuit, as the aircraft turned left base for a touch-and-go landing, the pilot reduced power, applied carburettor heat, and selected the second notch of flaps. The pilot then observed a drop in engine revolutions per minute (rpm) and airspeed. Despite advancing the throttle to recover engine rpm, the pilot was unsuccessful and initiated a forced landing on a farm road south of the academy. During the landing roll, the aircraft collided with a wire fence and struck a wooden pole on its left wing leading edge before coming to a halt. The accident occurred at GPS coordinates S 27° 48 26.5 E 024° 58 36.8, at an elevation of 4,200 feet above mean sea level, under visual meteorological conditions with a surface wind of 020° at 10 knots and a temperature of 18°C. No injuries were reported to the two occupants on board.