What happened
On the afternoon of 21 June 2023, an Air Tractor AT-802A with registration ZS-TFH was engaged in an active firefighting mission at Nooitgedacht Plantation in Ngodwana, Mpumalanga. Operating under visual flight rules, the aircraft was part of a larger fleet dispatched to suppress a runaway fire on the SAPPI plantation property.
The flight sequence began at Nelspruit Airport, where the pilot took off with a 3,000-litre water load. After completing an initial water drop on the left side of the fire, the pilot proceeded to Elandshoogte Airfield to replenish the hopper. Upon returning to the fire scene for a second pass, the aircraft released its remaining water load on the right side of the fire.
Immediately following this second release, the aircraft struck rising terrain. Video footage captured by a nearby spotter aircraft showed the ZS-TFH impacting the ground with significant force, causing the aircraft to burst into flames. The wreckage skidded approximately 250 metres before coming to rest in an inverted position. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed by the subsequent post-impact fire.
The investigation
An investigation by the SACAA AIID examined the wreckage and flight sequence. Investigators noted that the aircraft's flaps were in the extended position at the time of impact. The wreckage analysis revealed that the left-side main landing gear and the hopper were the primary points of contact with the terrain. The impact was severe enough to cause the separation of the ailerons and parts of the propeller blades, with the aircraft's momentum carrying the burning wreckage forward.
Findings
- The accident occurred during daylight under clear meteorological conditions.
- The aircraft was flying perpendicular to the wind direction at the time of the accident.
- The aircraft impacted rising terrain immediately after the release of its second water load.
- The intensity of the post-impact fire and the force of the collision rendered the accident non-survivable.