South Africa

Flight Type:

Government

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Mbala – Maputo

MSN:

63457

YOM:

1980

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

13056

Captain / Total hours on type:

7523.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

3790

Copilot / Total hours on type:

2380

Aircraft flight hours:

1105

Circumstances:

The Tupolev 134 departed Mbala (MMQ), Zambia, for a flight back to Maputo (MPM). The flight carried Mozambique president Samora Machel who had attended a meeting of African leaders in Zambia. While approaching Maputo, an inadvertent selection of the MATSAPA VOR frequency caused the crew to execute a premature 37-degrees turn. Although the pilot queried the turn, no effort was made to verify it by using the available navigational aids. The aircraft descended below the 3000 feet limit in spite of not having visual contact with Maputo. The crew erroneously assumed a power failure at Maputo. A 32-second GPWS warning was ignored and the aircraft collided with the ground at 2187 feet, bounced and crashed into an uphill slope. The aircraft broke up, slid across the South African/Eswatini border and caught fire. Machel, along with 33 other occupants did not survive the accident.

Probable cause:

The cause of the accident was that the flight crew failed to follow procedural requirements for an instrument let-down approach , but continued to descend under visual flight rules in darkness and some cloud, i.e. without having visual contact with the ground, below minimum safe altitude, and in addition the ignored GPWS alarm.

Final Report:

Crash of a Dassault Falcon 10 near Haenertsburg: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 2, 1986

Type of aircraft:

Dassault Falcon 10

Operator:

Registration:

3D-ART

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

YOM:

1975

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight, the crew started the approach to Pietersburg-Gateway Airport. On descent, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and the visibility was limited. Due to excessive workload in the cockpit, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when, at an altitude of 5,200 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located near Haenertsburg, about 55 km east of Pietersburg Airport. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all four occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the crew failed to obtain proper weather bulletin prior to departure. After being stresses by an excessive workload, the crew failed to follow the published procedures and initiated the descente prematurely, causing the aircraft to descend below the minimum prescribed altitude. In consequence, the accident was the result of a controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Beechcraft 65-B80 Queen Air in Lanseria: 5 killed

Date & Time: Aug 31, 1985

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft 80 Queen Air

Operator:

Sunair

Registration:

9J-AAW

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Ambulance

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Lusaka – Johannesburg

MSN:

LD-429

YOM:

1970

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The twin engine airplane departed Lusaka on an ambulance flight to Johannesburg. While descending to Jan smuts Airport, the pilot encountered limited visibility due to poor weather conditions and was diverted to Lanseria Airport. Few minutes later, while approaching Lanseria, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances, killing all five occupants.

Crash of a Cessna 404 Titan in Lanseria: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 24, 1985

Type of aircraft:

Cessna 404 Titan

Operator:

Southern Cross Aviation

Registration:

N302SP

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

Rockwell Gulfstream 695 Jetprop 980

MSN:

404-0840

YOM:

1981

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After takeoff from Lanseria Airport, while climbing, the pilot reported engine problems and elected to return. Shortly later, the aircraft went out of control and crashed few km from the airfield. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a Rockwell Gulfstream 695 Jetprop 980 in Sishen: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 20, 1984

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Barkers Metal & Mining

Registration:

ZS-KVB

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

695-95005

YOM:

1980

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

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Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances shortly after takeoff from Sishen Airport, killing both occupants.

Crash of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo in Klerksdorp

Date & Time: Feb 24, 1984

Type of aircraft:

Piper PA-31-310 Navajo

Operator:

Henles Engineering

Registration:

ZS-KTV

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

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Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On approach to Klerksdorp Airport, both engines failed. The aircraft lost height and crashed few km short of runway threshold. All three occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Failure of both engines on approach caused by a fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Cessna 402B in Cape Town: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jun 5, 1983 at 1323 LT

Type of aircraft:

Cessna 402

Operator:

Linair Express

Registration:

ZS-KVG

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Schedule:

Cape Town - Lanseria

MSN:

402B-1094

YOM:

1976

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The pilot, Lorance Weinberg, had a history of logging hours on aircraft he had not been trained to fly as well as logging hours on aircraft in which he had only traveled as a passenger. On 4 June 1983 he booked a Cessna 402 under false pretenses to fly to Durban, but in fact took a party of 9 to Cape Town for a wedding. The following day he filed an IFR flight plan to return to Johannesburg when he was not IFR rated, but had trouble filling in the forms. He took off just before 13:00 in deteriorating weather with his 8 passengers and immediately ran into trouble. He did not follow any instructions from air traffic control and evaded their questions when they decided it would be best to bring him back for landing. It was noted on radar that he was flying in ever decreasing circles until the aircraft finally crashed onto the Polkadraai Road running between Kuils River and Stellenbosch. Weinberg, five adult passengers and a baby were killed, but two adults survived.
Source: Fields of Air by James Byrom.

Probable cause:

The CAA determined that the pilot had undertaken a flight for which he was not qualified, or trained, to act as pilot in command. He took off in instrument meteorological conditions when he was not instrument rated and suffered from spatial disorientation and because of a lack of training flew into the ground.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-75-DL in Graskop

Date & Time: Oct 9, 1982

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

ZS-EJK

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Rockwell Grand Commander 680

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Johannesburg – Skukuza

MSN:

19484

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route on a charter flight from Johannesburg to Skukuza under IFR mode, the crew was unable to receive the NDB signal. Due to poor visibility, the crew decided to divert to Hoedspruit Airport and started the descent when the airplane stuck a hill and crashed. All 30 occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

It is believed that there was a malfunction of the ADF as the crew thought he was approaching Hoedspruit Airport while the aircraft was 67 km southwest of this city.

Crash of a Rockwell Grand Commander 680F in Pretoria

Date & Time: Aug 7, 1982

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Deelgroei

Registration:

ZS-KAU

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Site: