Date:	Tuesday 16 April 2013
Time:	15:57 UTC
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Pearl Coral 1323 CC
Registration:	ZS-OSS
MSN:	82982
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Modimola Dam, Mmabatho, North West Province -   South Africa
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger
Departure airport:	Mafikeng Airport, Mafeking, Basutoland, South Africa (MBD/FAMM)
Destination airport:	Mafikeng Airport, Mafeking, Basutoland, South Africa (MBD/FAMM)
Investigating agency:	CAA S.A.
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 82982 (Gipsy Major #82803); Taken on charge as R5100 at 5 MU RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire 3.4.40. To 13 EFTS RAF White Waltham, Maidenhead, Berkshire 4.7.40. Crashed at Braif, Lichfield, Staffordshire 24.7.40; to DeHavilland for repairs 31.7.40; returned to 5 MU RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire 25.10.40. To 16 OTU RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire 29.10.40. To 5 MU RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire 13.2.41. To 222 MU RAF High Ercall, Shropshire 3.3.43 for packing and crating for overseas shipment. Shipped to South Africa 20.3.43 on the "LS.36"; arrived in South Africa 3.5.43. Taken on charge by SAAF as '4641'. To 7 AS. Recorded as on strength in SAAF census 31.10.45.

Sold off and South Africa civil registered as ZS-BXC [by/in December 1951] to Benoni Aero Club. Damaged when nosed over Benoni Airfield 30.12.51; repaired and returned to service. Re-registered in 1953 to A J Saul & H A Botha, Benoni. Re-registered later in 1953 to G M Muller, Benoni. Registration ZS-BXC cancelled 9.5.56 as 'sold to Southern Rhodesia'.

Re-registered in Southern Rhodesia as VP-YOG in May 1956 to Skywork (Pvt) Ltd, Salisbury, Rhodesia. Withdrawn from use and registration cancelled 12.8.58.

Remains reportedly sold in 1985 to Ben Borsberry, Reading, Berkshire, England. However, registration ZS-OSS (quoting DeHavilland MSN 82982) reserved in 2001 by E T D Phelps and on rebuild at Krugersdorp. Re-registered 3.8.2001 to C B & A Aviation (Pty) Ltd, Randburg (aircraft based at Krugersdorp). Advertised For sale (December 2002) by Johan Niemand, Pretoria. Re-registered 15.8.2008 to Pearl Coral 1323CC (Martiens Steyn); aircraft based at Mafikeng Airport, Mafeking, Basutoland, South Africa

Crashed into the waters of the Modimola Dam, Mmabatho, North West Province, South Africa 16.4.2013. Both persons on board killed. At first one body was retrieved by divers, the second body was found trapped inside the plane.

UPDATE:
According to the official CAA South Africa accident report (see link #6):

"A pilot accompanied by passenger took off from Mahikeng Airport for a short scenic flight with the intent to land back at Mahikeng before sunset. Their taxi to and take-off from runway 04 was uneventful. Whilst in contact with tower the pair indicated that their detail would last about ten minutes and that they would contact tower as soon as they were finished.

A few minutes before the aircraft was reported missing a witness states that he saw an aircraft operating above the water. Suddenly it banked left and then started losing height in a nose dive attitude and hit the water. It disappeared under the water.

Mafikeng tower tried to contact the aircraft on the normal frequency but failed. Search and rescue of the two occupants was initiated. The aircraft remained underwater until recovered by an South African Police Service diving unit at approximately 18:00Z. The pilot and his passenger had suffered fatal injuries and the aircraft was completely destroyed.

Probable Cause:
Losing of control by flying low over water"

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft R1000-R9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1980)
2. https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Aircraft-crashes-into-North-West-dam-20130416
3. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/north-west/modimolle-plane-crash-victims-named-1.1502648
4. https://airflightdisaster.com/trainer-flight-crashes-in-modimola-dam-south-africa/
5. http://www.avdex.co.za/saregister/photos/ZS-OSSP.jpg (photo)
6. http://www.caa.co.za/Accidents%20and%20Incidents%20Reports/9165.pdf
7. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p829.html
9. http://www.dehavilland.co.za/DH82A_Tiger_Moth_construction_numbers_and_histories.htm

De Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth ZS-OSS, Mafikeng Airport, Mafeking, Basutoland, South Africa 12 May 2012:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Apr-2013 02:48	gerard57	Added
17-Apr-2013 05:23	gerard57	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Source, Narrative]
17-Apr-2013 18:56	RobertMB	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source]
19-Apr-2013 03:20	gerard57	Updated [Phase, Source, Narrative]
09-Jan-2022 00:31	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
09-Jan-2022 00:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
23-Jan-2022 00:24	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code, Narrative]