Accident Overview
On 20 June 1953, a Piper PA22 aircraft, owned by the Johannesburg Light Plane Club (Pty) Ltd, crashed at Van Rhynsdorp Airfield in the Cape Province, South Africa. The aircraft was operated by a private pilot holding a valid Private Pilot's Licence (No. 739(P), valid until 6 May 1954). The flight was part of a pamphlet-dropping operation. The accident resulted in fatal injuries to the pilot and three passengers, and a person on the ground was killed.
Flight Sequence
The aircraft had earlier taken off with three passengers to drop pamphlets over Van Rhynsdorp. The pilot performed several low-altitude dives over a crowd assembled on the airfield. At approximately 1700 hours, the aircraft again took off with four passengers and flew locally. The pilot again dived over the airfield, this time descending so low that the wheels contacted the ground at the intersection of two runways. The aircraft immediately became airborne again but struck a man sitting on the ground holding a bicycle, killing him instantly. The aircraft then completed a partial right-hand circuit before attempting a landing on the south corner of the airfield. During the landing, it crashed with a slight nose-down and port-wing-down attitude, with the engine under power. The port wing telescoped inward and backward, and the propeller and nosewheel separated. The wreckage caught fire after coming to rest. All parts of the aircraft were found at or near the wreckage; none had fallen away in flight. Seat belts were fastened, and the flaps were up at the time of impact. Dual control rudders were fitted and operating, but the right-hand control wheel had been previously removed.
Cause and Findings
The Board of Inquiry identified the primary cause of the accident as the pilot deliberately flying extremely low over a crowd of people assembled near the runways. Contributory factors included the pilot's decision to land as quickly as possible on the nearest runway after the initial ground contact, misjudging the approach, landing downwind, and failing to lower the flaps. The accident was attributed to the pilot's disregard of Air Navigation Regulations and negligence. The Board found the pilot directly to blame and considered all witness testimony credible. The Board also noted that a fire extinguisher in the aircraft did not function correctly, but even if it had, it could not have extinguished the fire.