Incident Overview
Description
Cessna Caravan V5-CAS was called in by International SOS to transport a South African car accident survivor. The Caravan with a pilot and two paramedics on board arrived at the Rooisand Desert Ranch air strip, 15 minutes before sunset. While waiting for the paramedics to help and secure the patient, the pilot sketched a map of the area. Because it was dark by the time the plane was ready for takeoff, the pilot asked people to park their cars near the runway, with their lights on, and said he would circle the runway two or three times to gain altitude. Shortly after taking off, westbound with a tailwind of between 10 and 12 knots, the aircraft turned right towards a hill that was 848 feet (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 south-east. The Caravan then descended 627 feet (191 metres) until it crashed into the side of a hill, only 17 metres from the top of the hill. Controlled flight into terrain. Contributing factors were “poor ground and sky illumination” and “the pilot’s difficulty in seeing the instrument panel without his glasses”.
Primary Cause
Poor ground and sky illumination and pilot’s difficulty in seeing the instrument panel without his glasses.Poor ground and sky illumination and pilot’s difficulty in seeing the instrument panel without his glasses.Share on:
