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Khomas Region

Crash of a Cessna 425 Conquest in Windhoek: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 29, 2016 at 1010 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
V5-MJW
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Windhoek - Windhoek
MSN:
425-0077
YOM:
1981
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Captain / Total flying hours:
11686
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3765
Copilot / Total hours on type:
256
Aircraft flight hours:
10108
Circumstances:
On 29 January 2016, at 08:10 a Cessna 425 Conquest, which was privately operated, crashed approx. 300 meters NNE of threshold Runway 26. 1.1.2 According to the flight plan filled on the 28th January 2016, the flight was scheduled for a renewal of CPL and IR ratings for the two pilots by a Designated Examiner (DE). Departure time was scheduled at 07:45 at a cruising altitude of FL100 for Hosea Kutako Airport. The pilots requested a procedure for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach. The Air Traffic Controller (ATC) cleared them for the procedure for runway 26 ILS approach with QNH 1024. They were also asked to report when at nine miles-inbound. At around nine miles they reported their location and were instructed to continue the approach along the glide slope. The DE requested a VOR approach for their next approach and an early right hand turnout that was approved by ATC who also required them to report when going around. The ATC stated that he saw them at around 4nm on final approach. He then stated that he looked away for a moment after which he heard a slight bang, then saw a ball of flames at about 300 meters north of threshold runway 26. He called out to the aircraft three times whilst looking out for it when he finally concluded that it could have been V5-MJW that had crashed. The ATC pressed a crash alarm after a moment when it did not go off, the controller then called the fire station and alerted them of the occurrence. The Airport’s Fire and Rescue team after receiving the initial notification from the ATC took around 10 minutes to reach the site, by that time fire had engulfed the plane and its occupants. The team took 3-4 minutes to extinguish the fire. The weather was reported as fine with winds about 140° at 08 kts with scattered clouds at 4000ft and unrestricted visibility.
Probable cause:
The aircraft stalled at low altitude and consequently impacted the ground.
Contributory Factors:
- Loss of control of the aircraft,
- Non-adherence of go-around procedures as set on the AIP,
- Normalization of deviation -where non-standard go-around procedures are executed.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in Windhoek: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 15, 2009 at 0658 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-OTU
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Windhoek – Ondjiva – Lubango – Luanda
MSN:
208B-0513
YOM:
1996
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Captain / Total flying hours:
671
Captain / Total hours on type:
206.00
Aircraft flight hours:
12469
Circumstances:
On 15 November 2009, at about 0458Z, and aircraft a Cessna Caravan 208B, with a pilot and three passengers on board, took off from Eros Airport for a flight to Ondjiva, Lubango and Luanda. On board the aircraft were a substantial amount of cargo, which included building materials, meat, paints, bottles of wine etc. which was placed between and on top of the seats as well as in the cargo-pod. The cargo inside the cabin area was not secured. Shortly after takeoff from runway 19, the aircraft turned to the right and then pitched nose up. According to the passenger who survived, the aircraft entered into a left spin shortly after the nose pitched up and second later impacted with terrain, coming to rest facing the direction it took off from. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured during the accident. One of the passengers survived the accident and was admitted to a local hospital with s spinal injury. The pilot-in-command was a holder of a commercial pilot licence. His medical certificate was valid with restrictions (to wear corrective lenses). Fine weather was reported during the time of the accident with surface wind of 180° at 8 knots.
Probable cause:
The investigations revealed that during this operation the aircraft's take-off weight was exceeded by 629 pounds. The aircraft failed to maintain flying speed and stalled shortly after takeoff, rendering ground impact inevitable.
The following contributing factors were identified:
- This was the pilot's first flight from Eros Airport therefore being unfamiliar with the airport and the environmental phenomena's associated with it (especially taking off from runway 19),
- The pilot made one fundamental error in his weight calculation that he used the incorrect aircraft empty weight,
- The cargo that was in the cabin was packed between and underneath and on top of the seats and was not secured,
- The aircraft took off from runway 19, which was an upslope runway,
- Taking off from runway 19 the terrain kept rising with mountains straight ahead as well as to the left and right,
- The pilot retracted the flaps shortly after rotation, which resulted in an attitude change and performance (aircraft lost altitude), which should be regarded as a significant contributory factor to this accident,
- The pilot was observed to turn to the right shortly after takeoff, which increased the drag on the aircraft as well as the stall speed,
- Harsh anti-erosion rubber paint that was sprayed onto the leading edge of the wings resulted in an increased stall speed,
- Inadequate oversight by the regulatory authority should be regarded as a significant contributory factor to this accident.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan near Rooisand: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 26, 2003 at 1930 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
V5-CAS
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Rooisand - Windhoek
MSN:
208B-0549
YOM:
1996
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
Chartered by International SOS, the single engine aircraft was dispatched to the Rooisand Desert Ranch Aerodrome with a medical team to pick up a patient who suffered a car accident. The aircraft landed at Rooisand Airstrip about 15 minutes before sunset. Due to the night and because the airfield was not equipped with any light systems, the pilot asked people to park their cars along the runway with their lights on. After take off, the aircraft continued westbound with a 12 knots tailwind and was supposed to circle the runway two or three times to gain sufficient height to avoid the hills surrounding the area. Then the aircraft turned right towards a hill that was 258 metres higher than the end of the runway. The aircraft had flown about 4,8 km far towards that hill when it banked steeply to the left and headed back to the southeast. The aircraft then descended to a height of 191 metres until it struck the slope of a hill. The wreckage was found 17 metres below the hill's top and all four occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain caused by the combination of the following factors:
- The decision of the pilot to take off from an airfield that was not suitable for night operations,
- The absence of a copilot considerably increased the workload of the captain, assuming that the copilot could have assisted him in the reconnaissance of the terrain, the preparation of the flight, the assistance to the patient and the medical team,
- Lack of visibility due to the night and lack of visual reference points on the ground, especially since the pilot had to wear corrective glasses,
- The pilot could not clearly distinguish the various parameters displayed on his instrument's panel because he forgot his glasses.

Crash of a Boeing 707-344C in Windhoek: 123 killed

Date & Time: Apr 20, 1968 at 2050 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-EUW
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Johannesburg - Windhoek - Luanda - Las Palmas - Frankfurt - London
MSN:
19705/675
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
SA228
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
116
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
123
Captain / Total flying hours:
18102
Captain / Total hours on type:
4608.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4109
Copilot / Total hours on type:
229
Aircraft flight hours:
238
Circumstances:
A Boeing 707-344C passenger jet, registered ZS-EUW, was destroyed in an accident near Windhoek-Strijdom International Airport, Namibia. The aircraft was operating on South African Airways' flight SA228 from Johannesburg to London via Windhoek, Luanda, Las Palmas and Frankfurt. The first leg of the flight was uneventful. Local weather conditions at Windhoek were fine: there was no cloud and no wind. The night was particularly dark as there was no moon and the horizon was indistinct. At 20:49 the aircraft took off from Windhoek runway 08 into conditions of complete darkness. The aircraft climbed to a height of about 650 feet above ground level. It leveled off and began to descend. Thirty seconds later, the aircraft flew into the ground at a point some 5,327 metres from the end of the runway. The level of the ground at the point of impact was 179 feet below the airport elevation or approximately 100 feet below the point of lift-off. The impact occurred at a ground speed of approximately 271 knots. The initial impact was in a slightly left-wing-down attitude. The fuselage and each of the 4 engine pods gouged deep trenches in the ground and the aircraft then began to break up as its momentum carried it onward. Wreckage was strewn over an area some 1,400 metres long and some 200 metres wide, and 2 separate fires broke out, presumably through the ignition of fuel on impact. Five passengers were seriously injured while 123 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
In regard to the cause of the accident:
(1) The effective cause of the accident was the human factor, and not any defect in the aircraft or in any of the engines or flight instruments.
(2) After a normal take- off and retraction of the landing gear, and while the aircraft was approaching an estimated height of 650 feet, the flaps were fully retracted and the engine output reduced from take- off power to climb power. There is no reason to suppose that these steps were not taken in the correct sequence and at the prescribed indicated airspeeds. In that phase of flight these alterations in flap configuration and engine power would have caused the aircraft to level off and then lose height
(a) unless the pilot checked that tendency and maintained a climbing attitude by appropriate action, or
(b) until the aircraft gained much more speed.
(3) The aircraft levelled off and lost height, and during the short period in which it did so the pilot appears to have acted as if he believed that the aircraft was still climbing. He appears to have altered the stabilizer trim to maintain the aircraft in its same pitch attitude, which he apparently believed was an attitude of climb, but which was in fact an attitude of descent. In that situation, which lasted for about 30 seconds, the aircraft lost approximately 750 feet in height and flew into the ground.
(4) The co-pilot failed to monitor the flight instruments sufficiently to appreciate that the aircraft was losing height.
The following causes probably contributed in greater or lesser degree to the situation described above:
(a) take-off into conditions of total darkness with no external visual reference;
(b) inappropriate alteration of stabilizer trim;
(c) spatial disorientation;
(d) pre-occupation with after-take-off checks.
The following causes might have contributed in greater or lesser degree:
(a) temporary confusion in the mind of the pilot on the position of the inertial-lead vertical speed indicator, arising from the difference in the instrument panel layout in the C model of the Boeing 707-344 aircraft, as compared with the A and B models, to which both pilots were accustomed;
(b) the pilot's misinterpretation, by one thousand feet, of the reading on the drum-type altimeter, which is susceptible to ambiguous interpretation on the thousands scale;
(c) distraction on the flight deck caused by a bird or bat strike, or some other relatively minor occurrence.
Final Report: