What happened
On 15 November 2019, a Jabiru J430, registration ZS-NEE, was conducting circuit training exercises at Rhino Park Aerodrome in Gauteng Province. The flight, which included a flight instructor and a student pilot, was performing its fifth circuit when the instructor took control of the aircraft to demonstrate a crosswind landing technique.
During the landing phase on Runway 09, the aircraft touched down approximately 100 meters past the runway threshold. Although the instructor attempted to use the brakes and even performed zig-zag maneuvers to reduce velocity, the aircraft failed to decelerate sufficiently. The aircraft subsequently overshot the runway and exited the paved surface. As the aircraft moved onto the soft sand beyond the runway, the nose gear became embedded, causing the propeller and the left wingtip to strike the ground.
Despite the impact, there were no injuries to the two occupants, who were able to exit the aircraft unassisted. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to its propeller, left main landing gear, and left wing.
The investigation
An investigation by the SACAA AIID examined the mechanical and operational aspects of the incident. While the instructor initially reported that the brakes were ineffective, a technical inspection of the brake pads by an authorized person revealed that the components were still functional and not beyond their service limits. The investigation also confirmed that the aircraft had undergone a mandatory periodic inspection only 1.9 hours prior to the event.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary cause of the incident was that the aircraft approached the aerodrome at a high speed. This excessive approach speed resulted in a deep landing on the runway, leaving the pilot with insufficient distance to stop the aircraft before it overshot the paved surface.