What happened
On 30 June 2020, a student pilot operating a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, registration ZS-EBC, was conducting solo-consolidation circuit training at Wonderboom Aerodrome (FAWB). After successfully completing an initial dual flight with an instructor and performing several touch-and-go landings, the student pilot commenced a solo circuit pattern.
During the second circuit, while transitioning from the base leg to the final approach for Runway 11, the aircraft deviated from its intended path. Witnesses observed the aircraft executing a sharp left turn that caused the left wing to drop, sending the plane into a descending spiral. The pilot radioed a distress message stating, "I'm losing control," shortly before the aircraft struck a ploughed field behind the Pretoria University Faculty of Veterinary Science Campus. The impact was high-speed, and a post-impact fire destroyed the aircraft. The student pilot sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the wreckage and the aircraft's engine, a Lycoming O-360A30. The teardown inspection of the engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failure, such as issues with the magnetos, oil pump, or crankshaft. There were no signs of airframe failure, flight control malfunctions, loss of engine power, or in-flight fire prior to the impact.
Air traffic control records and eyewitness accounts from other pilots in the area confirmed that the aircraft was expected on final approach but instead turned away from the runway centerline. Witnesses noted the aircraft was flying at a very low altitude and was visibly unstable before the crash.