The pilot at the controls of the light aircraft that crashed in the Levubu area (Limpopo) on 23 March this year had no valid pilot's licence at the time of the accident. This was among the findings of the preliminary report issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). The report also mentioned that this was the second crash the pilot had been involved in within just over a year.
A trip to attend a church service in Louis Trichardt nearly ended in tragedy for the three young businessmen on board the plane, with the pilot being seriously injured and his two passengers escaping with minor injuries. The aircraft (a Jabiru J430 with registration ZU-MJM) belonged to prominent Thohoyandou businessman Mr Humbulani Bvumbi, who owns the Thabelo Funeral Embassy, which has branches throughout the country. However, he was not on the plane that crashed. It is believed that the pilot was one of his sons, Mukona (22) or Tshilidzi (21), both of whom were on board. The other passenger was Livingstone Junior Sandei Simango (20). It is still not known who piloted the plane as the pilot's name does not appear in the preliminary report, nor did the family wish to disclose his identity.
According to the SACAA's preliminary report, the pilot and his two passengers took off from the Nandoni private airstrip in Limpopo at approximately 07:35 that day, en route to the Louis Trichardt Aerodrome. About eight minutes into the flight, near the P.R. Mphephu Airport, the plane's engine started running roughly and lost power. The pilot made a left turn to land at P.R. Mphephu Airport and switched on the carburettor heat to avoid carburettor icing. However, the engine stopped completely, and the pilot's attempts to restart it were unsuccessful.
Upon approach to land at the airport, the pilot noticed trees before the runway threshold. "He decided to conduct a forced landing on a field in the Levubu residential area. At this point, the engine had stopped. After selecting the first stage of flaps and just before touching down on the identified field, the pilot noticed a tree to his left and banked right to clear it. However, the right wing and main landing gear impacted the ground hard, and the left wingtip and horizontal stabiliser struck the tree stem. The aircraft came to a stop approximately 20 metres after the first point of impact," the SACAA report states. The pilot then freed the passengers from their seat harnesses and pulled them out of the aircraft. The injured were taken to different hospitals in the province. The aircraft was destroyed.
To say that the pilot and his two passengers were extremely lucky to have survived seems to be an understatement. "The chances of survival were minimal, as the cockpit area was extensively damaged. The occupants' chances of survival were improved by adhering to the safety standard of wearing their safety harnesses," the report reads.
In this regard, there is a popular phrase in aviation: "Any landing you can walk away from is a good one." This phrase is often attributed to Chuck Yeager, a famous test and airshow pilot. In that respect, the pilot did well to ensure that both he and his two passengers survived the accident. However, this does not detract from the findings of the preliminary SACAA investigation.
"The pilot had an invalid Private Pilot Licence (PPL). The PPL was initially issued on 18 December 2021, with an expiry date of 31 December 2024. The Regulator does not have a record of the pilot's licence renewal process in their system," the SACAA stated.
According to the SACAA, the pilot claimed he did not know his licence had expired. It is not stated what action the SACAA plans to take against the pilot. However, action may include administrative penalties, grounding, and possibly legal prosecution for endangering safety and violating aviation regulations. These regulations are in place to ensure the safety of pilots, passengers, and the aviation industry as a whole.
It must be noted that although the pilot's licence had expired, his Class 2 aviation medical certificate, issued on 1 April 2021, had not lapsed and remains valid until 1 April 2026, with no restrictions. The aircraft was also issued a Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) on 2 August 2024, valid until 30 July 2025. The aircraft had had sufficient fuel for the flight, and no defects were noted in the flight folio.
"The AIID [Accident and Incident Investigations Division] investigation is ongoing, and the investigator will examine other aspects of this occurrence, which may or may not have safety implications," the SACAA report states.
As for the pilot's previous accident, referred to in the preliminary report, it involved an incident on 21 April 2024 at the Nandoni private airstrip, involving the same pilot and the same plane. According to the SACAA's final Limited Occurrence Investigation Report, the pilot took off on a recreational flight from Nandoni private airstrip to the Polokwane Civil Aerodrome, with the intention of returning to the departure airstrip.
According to the pilot, the SACAA stated, a pre-flight inspection was conducted and no anomalies were found. During the take-off phase, the pilot applied full power and the aircraft accelerated.
However, the pilot noticed that the indicated airspeed remained at zero. He immediately closed the throttle and applied the brakes. By that time, the aircraft had already used almost half of the runway, and it was clear that the remaining length would not be sufficient to bring the plane to a stop. "As the pilot deduced that he was running out of runway surface, he steered the aircraft slightly to the right and exited the runway into the wetland to minimise damage to the aircraft. However, the aircraft was substantially damaged; it sustained damage to the propeller blades, right main gear strut, and right wingtip. No person was injured," the SACAA report states. At that stage, the pilot still held a valid PPL. The investigation found that a bug had lodged itself in the pitot tube and, as a result, caused the airspeed reading to remain at zero.