What happened
On 17 March 2018, a Jabiru J400, registration ZU-ZAN, was conducting a private flight departing from and returning to Morning Star Aerodrome. The flight, which included the pilot and two passengers, was operating under visual flight rules in favorable weather conditions.
During the initial landing attempt, the pilot initiated the flare at an excessive altitude. This caused the aircraft to balloon and subsequently impact the runway with significant force. In an attempt to recover from this bounce and execute a go-around, the pilot applied full power but utilized incorrect rudder inputs, mistakenly applying right rudder instead of left to compensate for a crosswind. This caused the aircraft to veer left, resulting in the right wing and elevator making contact with the ground. The pilot successfully managed to regain flight and perform a second approach.
On the second approach, while the flare was more controlled, the left main landing gear collapsed immediately upon touchdown. The aircraft veered left off the runway, leading to the subsequent collapse of the right main gear. The aircraft skidded approximately 350 feet from the runway edge, and the propeller struck the ground. There were no injuries to the occupants, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the undercarriage, wing, elevator, tail, and propeller.
The investigation
The SACAA AIID investigation confirmed that the pilot held a valid private pilot license and medical certificate. The aircraft was properly maintained, with its last inspection completed in August 2017, and held a valid authority to fly. The investigation focused on the sequence of the landing maneuvers and the pilot's response to the initial bounce.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the pilot flaring the aircraft too high, which induced a bounce and a hard impact.
- The recovery from the initial bounce was mismanaged due to incorrect control inputs.
- The collapse of the landing gear was a direct result of the heavy impact following the improper flare.
- The pilot had experienced a similar hard landing incident in July 2017, which had caused structural damage to the fuselage and nose gear.