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| Date: | Thursday 26 January 2023 |
| Time: | 07:45 UTC |
| Type: |  The Airplane Factory Sling 2 |
| Owner/operator: | Madiba Bay School of Flight |
| Registration: | ZU-FUS |
| MSN: | 080 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | Sunday’s River Mouth -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ/FAPE) |
| Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ/FAPE) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On Thursday morning, 26 January 2023 at 0500Z, an instructor and a student pilot (SP) on-board a Sling 2 aircraft with registration ZU-FUS took off on training flight from Port Elizabeth Aerodrome (FAPE) to the general flying area (GFA). The intention was to conduct the spiral dive and recovery exercises at the GFA.
The instructor reported that when they arrived at the GFA, they conducted the spiral dive and recovery exercises overhead the river mouth of Sunday River, which is located approximately 20 nautical miles (nm) from FAPE. During the recovery manoeuvre when the SP increased power, the engine RPM climbed to 3000 and no further; also, there was no indication from the sound of the engine that the aircraft was gaining power.
(The throttle lever was opened and felt restricted, and the RPM was not increasing). Subsequently, the aircraft started to lose height. The instructor took over the control of the aircraft and applied full power to recover, but without success (engine RPM remained at 3 000 RPM). Note: The maximum engine speed is 5 800 RPM and 5 500 RPM maximum continuous power, according to the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). Also, the POH states that the spiral dive exercises should be practised with the engine power set to idle (1400 revolution per minute) at 1 500 feet (ft) above ground level (AGL).
The instructor elected to execute a forced landing at the beach on the river mouth of Sunday River. The aircraft landed safely without further incidents. The aircraft was not damaged, and both occupants were not injured
Probable Cause(s)
In-flight failure of the throttle cable led to limited engine power because of the strand that had lodged into the cable insulation, limiting throttle movement.
Contributing Factor(s)
• Improper maintenance inspection of the throttle cable led to limited engine power due to the failed cable strand that was lodged into the protective insulation of the cable.
• Incorrect torque of the cable securing the nut and bolt, resulting in the failure of the cable strand.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
S.A. CAA
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 23 August 2022 | ZU-FUS | Madiba Bay School of Flight | 0 | Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ/FAPE) | |
sub |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Jul-2023 17:45 | harro | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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