Cape Town – South African Civil Aviation Authority’s preliminary report into the emergency landing of a light aircraft in the middle of the road in Stellenbosch earlier this year reportedly revealed that the aircraft experienced engine failure mid-air.
According to IOL, the light aircraft which had two occupants crashed along the Stellenbosch and Strand intersections on June 1, 2022.
One of the occupants was seriously injured, while the other escaped with minor injuries.
No fatalities were found, said the report.
According to Times Live, South African Civil Aviation Authority released a preliminary report on the incident on Friday.
The report revealed that the aircraft took off from Cape Town International Airport and headed for the Stellenbosch aerodrome.
It was carrying a flight instructor and a student pilot.
However, before it reached its intended destination the “engine spluttered” midair just after the student practised landing.
“The instructor checked the engine indications and noticed a rise in fuel flow which was abnormal. The instructor then took over the control of the aircraft and commenced with the fault-finding procedure by recycling power and mixture levers, switching on the electric fuel pump, changing tanks and checking magnetos. There was no change in the aircraft’s engine performance, except when full power was applied, which caused the engine to splutter.
“The instructor decided to perform a forced landing but could not identify a suitable field as the aircraft was flying very low. He then assessed the R44 road ahead of him and committed to land on it as this was the only available area to land the aircraft”, Times Live quoted the preliminary report.
The report concluded that the student pilot was compliant and the aircraft was airworthy.
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Compiled by Sinothando Siyolo
