What happened
On 6 June 2021, a Fairchild 24R 46A, registered as ZS-VYM, was performing a private flight from New Tempe Airfield to George Airport. While approximately 21 nautical miles from its destination, the pilot noticed the engine began running roughly, which was followed by a noticeable reduction in engine power.
In response to the deteriorating engine performance, the pilot opted to perform a precautionary landing. The aircraft was brought down in an open field on a private farm located roughly 6nm from Leppan Airfield, near Sedgefield in the Western Cape. The landing was successful, resulting in no injuries to the pilot and only minor damage to the aircraft. At the time of the landing, the fuel gauge indicated that just under half a tank of fuel remained.
The investigation
Following the incident, inspections were conducted in George by an authorized technician. These post-incident examinations identified a hole in the wall of the number five cylinder.
Records indicated that the engine had undergone an overhaul on 6 July 2018. While the aircraft is a former military model, certain maintenance and overhaul history details were unavailable. The aircraft's most recent annual inspection had been completed on 22 July 2020, with approximately 29.9 flight hours logged since that inspection.