Cessna C210J Centurion Accident in South Africa (ZS-FPJ)

Accident Overview and Flight History On 19 June 2015, a Cessna C210J Centurion, registration ZS-FPJ, operated by FFA Assets (PTY) LTD, was involved in an accident in South Africa. The aircraft was on a private Part 91 flight from Piesangshoek airstrip (FAQB) in Limpopo province to Nelspruit aerodrome (FANS) in Mpumalanga province. The pilot, a 38-year-old commercial pilot with 6,400 total flight hours, was the sole occupant. The flight was intended for the pilot to report for fire-fighting operations stand-by duties. ## Sequence of Events The aircraft took off from Piesangshoek under visual meteorological conditions (VMC) at 1602Z. The pilot reported a normal take-off run. However, during the climb phase at approximately 100 feet above ground level (AGL), the engine experienced a gradual loss of power. The propeller RPM surged between 2,500 and 2,200. The pilot attempted to maintain control and initiated a forced landing on an open field. During a right turn, the pilot lost control, the right wing dropped, and the aircraft entered a near-vertical descent. It collided with tree stumps on an uphill slope before impacting the ground. ## Damage and Injuries The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and a subsequent post-impact fuel-fed fire. The pilot sustained minor bruises to his left hand and evacuated the burning wreckage through the right-hand side door. Local farmers assisted in suppressing the fire. ## Probable Cause The probable cause was an unsuccessful forced landing following an engine failure. A contributory factor was the pilot's failure to use the redundancy system, specifically the auxiliary fuel pump. Visual inspection of the engine-driven fuel pump revealed a sheared drive pin caused by pump seizure, leading to fuel starvation and loss of engine power.