MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Today Skydive Mossel Bay provided a statement on the hard landing which took place at the local airstrip on Saturday, 6 July.

The two crew of the aircraft were the only people on board at the time and they were not injured.

The airfield is in Aalwyndal, a peri-urban area where there are a number of smallholdings.

To read a previous article, click here: https://shorturl.at/N273i

Altitude of 16 000 feet

Skydive Mossel Bay noted that at about 13:00, it conducted skydiving operations over the Mossel Bay airfield from an altitude of 16 000 feet. 

The statement reads: "The aircraft used for the drops was a Beechcraft King Air 90, a twin-engine turboprop commuter plane, specially configured for skydiving. 

Descent

"The skydiving drop proceeded without incident and the aircraft began its descent back to the airfield. At this point, only the two crew members were on board."

During the final phase of landing, just before touchdown, there was a sudden and unexpected high sink rate of the aircraft.

Skydive Mossel Bay noted: "This resulted in a hard impact with the runway, causing the aircraft to bounce off to the side, where it came to rest."

Significantly damaged

The aircraft was significantly damaged, particularly the undercarriage, engines and propellers.

The statement read: "While the exact cause of the accident remains unclear, the incident has been reported to the South African Civil Aviation Authority, which will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the possible causes.

"Skydive Mossel Bay extends heartfelt thanks to our friends and the general public of Mossel Bay for the numerous calls and messages of support during this time. 

"We are already making plans to replace our beloved King Air and, in the meantime, will continue operations with our smaller Cessna aircraft."

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