What happened
On 24 September 2018, a Micro Aviation Bantam B22J, registration ZU-EGU, departed Hoedspruit Civil Aerodrome for a routine training flight. The flight, which included a pilot and a student, proceeded normally for approximately 10 minutes, climbing to an altitude of 2000 feet.
During the flight, a loud bang was heard originating from the engine compartment. Following this noise, the engine began to run roughly before eventually losing all power. The pilot attempted to execute a forced landing in an open field located approximately 5 nautical miles southwest of the aerodrome. The landing was unsuccessful, and the aircraft came to rest in a vertical position with the nose perpendicular to the ground. While the aircraft sustained substantial damage, there were no injuries to the two occupants.
The investigation
Investigators examined the Jabiru 220 and performed a teardown of the engine through an approved maintenance organization. The inspection revealed that the engine had accumulated 555.6 hours since new and had undergone an annual inspection only a few weeks prior to the accident.
Technical analysis focused on the engine's performance degradation leading up to the shutdown. The investigation also noted that the specific broken component could not be analyzed because the valve was misplaced after the engine disassembly.