ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 344919
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| Date: | Thursday 8 June 2023 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Micro Aviation Bat Hawk R |
| Owner/operator: | private |
| Registration: | ZU-IXD |
| MSN: | 0103 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | S131 gravel road between Letaba and Phalaborwa -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Letaba Aerodrome |
| Phalaborwa Airport (PHW/FAPH) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
According to the pilot, he took off from Letaba Aerodrome at 1240Z. The aircraft had 100 litres of fuel on-board at take-off. Approximately 10 minutes into the flight at approximately 500 ft AGL, the pilot noticed a clear liquid which looked and smelled like fuel, dripping onto his left shoulder. Splashes of the liquid were also on the windscreen and leading edge of the left wing. The pilot assumed that there might be a fuel leak, possibly from the carburettor, and was concerned that it could ignite if it came into contact with the hot exhaust pipes. The pilot scanned the area and noticed the S131 gravel road, which was devoid of traffic and decided to perform a precautionary landing on the road, approximately 10 nautical miles (nm) west of Letaba Aerodrome. The pilot selected the flaps for landing, and the aircraft touched down smoothly, whereafter he closed the fuel selector valve and switched off the master switches. The pilot stated that he could not slow down the aircraft fast enough as the road surface was corrugated. Approximately 75 metres during the landing roll whilst the aircraft travelled at an estimated speed of 45 km/h, the right wing struck a small mopani tree and the aircraft flung to the right and veered off the road, colliding with another mopani tree. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Probable Cause
During flight, a liquid leaked from the engine and onto the pilot who then performed an unsuccessful precautionary landing; the aircraft veered off the road and impacted a tree.
Contributing Factor
1. The drain plug on the oil breather container located on the left side of the engine (when looking from the aft position) had no lock mechanism and, most probably, vibrated and loosened during flight before it fell out. This caused moisture (westerly oil-based liquid) that was in the container to drip onto the pilot.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Aug-2023 09:21 | harro | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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