Incident Overview
Description
After refuelling the pilot-in-command was cleared to take off from runway 03 at Jan Smuts Airport and then to turn north-westerly to Hartebeespoort Dam NDB “HB” enroute to his home base at Pretoria-Wonderboom Airport. The pilot-in-command had apparently already altered course to “HB” NDB, when he requested clearance to land back at Johannesburg. He was cleared to runway 21. This was acknowledged. After this radio and radar contact were lost. The aircraft flew into the ground in a high speed dive. It disintegrated and burst into flames at impact. All three on board the aircraft and two persons on the ground were killed. Investigation of the site and marks on the ground showed that the aircraft was approx. 45 deg nose down on primary impact. The aircraft, a Volpar Turboliner II cargo plane, was a stretched turbine conversion of a Beechcraft SNB-5 Navigator (Redesignated TC-45J in 1962) that was operated by the US Navy.
Source of Information
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%202580.htmlhttp://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%202580.htmlPrimary Cause
Loss of control during a high-speed dive, likely due to a combination of factors including a potentially unstable flight path and a rapid change in altitude.Loss of control during a high-speed dive, likely due to a combination of factors including a potentially unstable flight path and a rapid change in altitude.Share on:
