ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 272542
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| Date: | Thursday 9 November 2006 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | CGS Hawk |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZU-EDI |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: / Occupants: |
| Aircraft damage: | |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Weltevrede Aerodrome -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | |
| Nature: | |
| Departure airport: | Private Aerodrome, Weltevrede near Hermanus |
| Private Aerodrome, Weltevrede near Hermanus | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot, accompanied by a passenger took'off from Runway 11 at Weltevrede Aerodrome on a demonstration flight. At a height of approximately 500 feet AGL (above ground level) the pilot levelled off and throttled back to cruise power before initiating a right turn onto a right crosswind position. Approximately halfway through the turn, the nose of the aircraft sudden pitched down in an unusual manner, followed by a loud rattling noise from the engine. The pilot managed to recover the aircraft from the dive. According to the pilot's statement, he still had aileron and rudder control and with rudder he managed to turn away from the trees into, which the aircraft was descending. On applying power the engine rpm responded rapidly but the rattling noise from the engine increased drastically with no apparent thrust response. The pilot managed to manoeuvre the aircraft onto an open field with quite dense growth of low bush. According to the pilot he experienced a control problem and a lack of power and elected to conduct a forced landing with the aircraft touching down at approximately 70 mph with a tail wind component. The drag of the bush slowed the aircraft to a stop in an estimated 50m, but due to a series of mole holes in the soft sand the nose wheel fork spindle was damaged. Nobody was injured in the event. The aircraft was recovered to a hangar where it was inspected and it was found that they encountered a bird strike on the left-hand wing root to roof structure connection. The impact tore the screen (transparent plexiglass type of a material) allowing air under the screen. The air pressure during the flight allowed the screen to lift up to a position somewhere above the engine. It would appear that the screen blanketed a major portion of the elevator surface, which caused the aircraft to pitch nose down. It also blanketed the propeller, resulting in a lack of thrust to propel the aircraft in order to sustain flight. The pilot had obtained a conversion onto the aircraft type on 9 June 2006, which was approved by the CAA. The last Annual Inspection that was certified on the aircraft prior to the accident was on 19 July 2006, at 58.0 airframe hours. Since the inspection was certified a further 10.2 hours were flown. On 8 June 2006 the CAA issued an Authority to Fly following the proving flight phase and on 7 September 2006 they issued a second Authority to Fly, which allowed the aircraft to be utilized for training. The aircraft, serial No. HA II-287-TRI was the first of its type to be imported into South Africa and had completed the proving flight phase as required. Probable Cause The investigation revealed that the aircraft encountered a bird strike, which caused some of the screening to become detached. The screening acted as an obstruction with regard to air flowing over the elevator as well as blanketing the propeller, which resulted in a limited thrust condition, leaving the pilot with no option but to perform a forced landing as the aircraft displayed control difficulty in the pitch attitude and was unable to sustain flight.
Accident investigation:
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Sources:
S.A. CAA
Revision history:
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