What happened
On 19 August 2025, a student pilot was conducting a solo consolidation flight at Lanseria International Airport (FALA) in Gauteng. The flight, operating under Part 1 and Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC), followed a series of successful touch-and-go landings performed with an instructor on board. After the instructor disembarked, the student pilot continued the flight alone.
During the initial approach for landing, the pilot noted wind speeds of approximately 11 knots with directions varying between 260° and 320°. As the aircraft entered the flare, a sudden push to the right caused a hard impact with the runway, leading the aircraft to bounce. In an attempt to arrest the descent, the pilot applied power, but the aircraft subsequently touched down heavily again and drifted toward the left side of the runway. Despite applying right rudder, the aircraft's momentum caused the right wing to strike the runway surface. The impact broke the nose landing gear, causing the nose to drop and the propeller to strike the ground. The Piper Cherokee PA28-140, registration ZS-SVR, came to a stop near the left edge of the runway. The pilot was uninjured and evacuated the aircraft without assistance.
The investigation
SACAA AIID examined the aircraft's maintenance and the environmental conditions at the time of the incident. The investigation confirmed that the Piper Cherokee PA28-140 had a valid Certificate of Airworthiness and had undergone its mandatory periodic inspection recently in July 2025. The student pilot held a valid Student Pilot Licence and had accumulated 32.7 total flying hours.
Weather data from the South African Weather Service indicated a calculated crosswind component of approximately 8.4 knots. While this was well within the aircraft's demonstrated maximum crosswind limit of 17 knots, the investigation looked into how these conditions influenced the flight path.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the loss of directional control following a hard landing.
- Crosswind weather conditions acted as a contributing factor to the instability during the landing phase.
- The aircraft sustained minor damage, specifically to the propeller blades and the nose landing gear.