ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 269936
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| Date: | Friday 26 November 2021 |
| Time: | c. 15:00 |
| Type: |  Cessna 421B Golden Eagle |
| Owner/operator: | Three Diamonds Air Charter |
| Registration: | ZS-IGG |
| MSN: | 421B0221 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Middelburg (Transvaal) (FAMB), Mpumalanga -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Hoedspruit Airport (HDS/FAHS) |
| Middelburg (Transvaal) (FAMB) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
A Cessna 421B Golden Eagle crashed near Middelburg (Transvaal) (FAMB), Mpumalanga.
The pilot reported that he conducted a preflight inspection on the aircraft at Middelburg, and all was normal with no outstanding defects recorded. The flight-folio page indicated that 310 litres of Avgas LL100 fuel were uplifted in preparation for the flight. The flight to FAHS was uneventful and it lasted for about 1.2 hours.
The next day the aircraft was prepared for a return flight to FAGM. The aircraft took off at 1100Z. The pilot stated that after approximately 45 minutes into the flight, above the Middleburg area at 14000 feet (ft), he experienced a power loss on both engines. The weather condition at the time was reported by the pilot as overcast, cloud base at 4000ft and tops at 10000ft.
The pilot broadcasted a distress call to Johannesburg area control and decided to navigate the aircraft to Middleburg Aerodrome (FAMB) for an emergency landing. En route to FAMB, both engines stopped, and the pilot executed a forced landing on an open field east of FAMB. The aircraft sustained substantial damages and the pilot sustained minor injuries. The two passengers were uninjured.
Post-accident examination of the propeller blades showed that the engines were not producing power prior to the accident. The aircraft’s fuel system was examined, and investigators found out that both auxiliary tanks contained fuel together with the tip tanks (main tanks). The wing rocker tanks behind the engines were empty. The engines were fed from the tip tanks, which was a normal procedure as stipulated in the flight manual. The investigators were unable to sum up the amount of fuel remaining as the aircraft was in an awkward position. Fuel samples taken indicated that it was clean and the correct grade. The pilot was interviewed, and he indicated that he was equally surprised as the engines were running smoothly with positive fuel flow. Considering the weather condition at the time of the flight, a possibility of induction icing or carburettor icing was not ruled out. The pilot did not consider opening the engine alternate air doors to prevent it.
Sources:
https://mobserver.co.za/151397/aircraft-crash-near-the-middelburg-airfield/
CAA S.A.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49047649447_dafcf2bb74_h.jpg (photo)
History of this aircraft
Ex D-IGGO, TC-GPS, (N501SQ), N5978M
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Nov-2021 15:10 | gerard57 | Added |
| 26-Nov-2021 15:41 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Nov-2021 15:44 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Total occupants, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Nov-2021 17:31 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Total occupants, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Nov-2021 10:35 | A.J.Scholten | Updated [Cn] |
| 27-Nov-2021 11:14 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative] |
| 29-Nov-2021 03:15 | RobertMB | Updated [Cn, Narrative] |
| 10-Feb-2022 20:15 | harro | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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