What happened
During a period of experimental flight testing at Jan Smuts Airport, an aircraft was being utilized to collect data for the Aircraft Flight Manual. These tests were part of a certification process intended to enable public transport operations. The flight was conducted under the Research, Experimental, and Demonstration category.
At 1040 hours, the pilot departed from runway 03. Following the completion of a circuit, the aircraft was cleared to land on the same runway. During the final approach, the pilot maintained an altitude between 300 and 400 feet until crossing the runway threshold. At that moment, the descent angle steepened significantly to approximately 45 degrees. Although the aircraft leveled out roughly 70 feet above the ground, the steep descent trajectory persisted through the touchdown.
Upon contact with the runway, the main landing gear bogies shifted rearward and inward, with more pronounced movement on the starboard side. The impact caused the aircraft to bounce slightly before traveling further down the runway. Heavy smoke was observed emanating from both bogies as the aircraft proceeded forward. The aircraft eventually veered toward the right, exiting the runway and coming to a stop approximately 1,590 yards from the threshold at a heading of 180° M. There were no fatalities or injuries, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Findings
The accident was attributed to a misjudged roundout during the landing phase, which led to an excessively steep descent and a heavy impact that caused the starboard undercarriage to collapse.