What happened
On 6 July 2014, a Dromader M-18A, registration ZS-NHY, was conducting a local training session at the Warburton landing strip in Mpumalanga. The flight, which involved circuits, full-stop landings, and simulated forced landings, was being performed by a pilot undergoing a type conversion.
During the flight, the pilot noted an unusual appearance of the aircraft following a third landing, where the right wing seemed lower than the left. After a ground check by a dispatcher confirmed the tire was properly inflated, the pilot continued the training. During a subsequent landing attempt, the aircraft experienced a high rate of descent and bounced on the runway. As the aircraft touched down again, it began to roll and yaw toward the right. Despite the pilot's attempts to use left rudder and aileron inputs to stabilize the plane, the aircraft drifted off the runway and struck mature pine trees, causing substantial damage to the airframe.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the flight sequence, the pilot's credentials, and the environmental conditions at the time of the incident. The investigation confirmed that the pilot held a valid Airline Transport Pilot License, though he was still in the process of completing his conversion to the Dromlar M-18A and had only 4.4 hours of experience on this specific type.
Technical inspections of the aircraft revealed that it had a valid certificate of airworthiness and had undergone a mandatory periodic inspection less than a year prior to the accident. Meteorological data confirmed that the wind was a northwesterly breeze, gusting between 10 and 13 knots, at the time of the impact.