Cirrus SR22 Runway Overrun at Driefontein Farm Airfield (ZS-VOL)

Flight History and Accident Sequence On 4 March 2016, a Cirrus SR22 with registration ZS-VOL departed Vredendal aerodrome for Driefontein Farm Airfield near Fochville, North West, under visual flight rules. The pilot, a 37-year-old private pilot with 186.2 total hours, was accompanied by three passengers. After a three-and-a-half-hour flight, the pilot arrived at the unlicensed, unmanned airfield for the first time. He conducted a low-level inspection of runway 21, noting a light southerly wind and a known upslope near the runway end. The pilot touched down at 80 knots indicated airspeed and applied brakes, but realized the aircraft would not stop before the runway end. He initiated a go-around with full power, but the aircraft failed to become airborne before reaching the crest of the slope. The aircraft continued downslope, lifted approximately one meter off the ground, and struck a perimeter fence gate 160 meters beyond the runway end. The left wingtip was severed, and the aircraft skidded across a provincial road and through a railway security fence before coming to rest against a tree near the Johannesburg-Potchefstroom railway line. All four occupants sustained minor injuries and were observed at a hospital in Potchefstroom but not admitted. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the nose, engine compartment, landing gear, propeller, and both wings. No fire occurred. The accident was survivable due to low impact forces and an intact cabin.