What happened
On 18 August 2014, a Bat Hawk LSA, registration ZU-UBB, was conducting a private flight from a private airstrip in Hazyview toward a destination near Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. The flight, which included the pilot and one passenger, lasted approximately 30 minutes. As the aircraft approached runway 09 at the Bathawk city private airstrip, the pilot configured the aircraft with full flaps for landing.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft struck the ground at a high rate of speed on its nose wheel. This impact caused the nose gear to collapse toward the fuselage. Following the impact, the pilot lost directional control, causing the aircraft to veer to the left of the runway. The aircraft eventually came to a stop on the left side of the active runway. Both occupants evacuated the aircraft without injury, though the aircraft sustained damage to its windscreen, fuselage, and nose gear.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the wreckage and the circumstances surrounding the landing. The investigation noted that the aircraft was operating on a grass runway with an uphill slope. The investigators analyzed the aircraft's configuration, noting that the use of full flaps increases the rate of descent.
Technical analysis of the damage indicated that a high vertical force was applied to the nose gear during the landing phase. The investigation also considered the possibility that the pilot, perhaps attempting to manage the reduced landing distance provided by the uphill slope, applied excessive forward elevator pressure, leading to the improper touchdown attitude.