Africa-Press – Namibia. The Reims Cessna F406 Caravan II, which crashed a year ago, killing three people in Windhoek’s Pioneerspark residential area, was not equipped with a black box. The deadly crash occurred on 3 May 2024. It resulted in the loss of life of Rozanne de Beer-Olivier (33), the pilot-in-command, who joined Westair in 2017.
She was a South African citizen and a holder of a valid Namibian Commercial Pilot Licence issued according to the Namibian Civil Aviation Regulation (2001).
Her instrument rating was valid from 10 October 2023 until 16 October 2024.
It had a total of 4450.4 hours of flying experience, of which she logged 2448.1 hours on the Cessna F406 type.
Ruan van Schalkwyk (24), who joined Westair in 2023, was the co-pilot, a South African citizen and a holder of a valid Namibian Commercial Pilot License issued according to the Namibian Civil Aviation Regulation (2001).
His instrument rating was valid from 2 February 2024 to 2 February 2025.
He had a total of 345.4 hours of flying experience, of which he logged 72 hours on the Cessna F406 type. Andre-Armand Lubbe, the 25-year-old engineer who joined Westair in 2019, was the third person who perished in the crash. The plane was owned by Westair Aviation.
“Examination of the wreckage and occupant space revealed significant intrusion and fragmentation of the cockpit and cabin areas,” investigator in charge Ben Engelbrecht stated.
The report outlines that at its crash, the aircraft was observed in a steep nose-down attitude with the left wing orientated approximately 90 degrees downward before impacting the ground within a residential area.
“The left wing impacted the ground first, followed by the left engine and then the nose section of the aircraft, hitting trees in the first yard. The impact caused the aircraft to flip sideways, breaking through two precast fences and a small wall.
“It came to rest in the corner of the second yard, with the right horizontal stabiliser and elevator ending up on top of the precast fence. The impact resulted in fuel discharge from the left wing onto the adjacent street.
“One of the left engine’s propeller blades was separated during the impact sequence and was found approximately 200 metres from the main wreckage, having come to rest in a separate residential yard. Post-impact, the aircraft breached a precast perimeter fence, after which a fire ensued,” it reads.
Investigator in charge Ben Engelbrecht on Monday said this has become a challenge for the investigations, as they relied on witness statements, surveillance footage from nearby residences and physical evidence from the wreckage to reconstruct the final phase of the flight.
“The challenge we have with these small aircraft is that they do not have black boxes and recording devices. We must do the investigation the hard way. We must go through the parts, scrutinise everything, go to the scene and pick up parts,” he said.
The black box containing the Cockpit Voice Recorder and a Flight Data Recorder was not required under applicable regulations.
He added: “It is mandatory if it is an airline transporting passengers or a big airline transporting cargo. With smaller aircraft, there is a specification for when it is mandatory to have a black box. If the aircraft is below a certain weight category and not used for airline transport, then it’s not a requirement for the aircraft to carry a black box”.
The preliminary report released by the acting director of the Directorate of Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigations Philippine Lundama shows that the aircraft was manufactured by the American-based Cessna, with the French company Reims Aviation Industries designing the body.
Another challenge is that this type of aircraft was manufactured in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
The manufacturers have since closed. The two turboprop engines of the accident’s Cessna F406 aircraft were sent to Pratt & Whitney, the engine manufacturer in Canada.
Engelbrecht travelled to Canada in October 2024 and participated in the engines’ teardown.
“The teardown/investigation was completed on the 11th of October 2024. However, three parts were identified that required further testing and investigation. One was an engine part, and the other two were airframe parts that were attached to the left engine. Two of the parts were tested, with one test still outstanding,” he said.
Moreover, the report indicates the crash was not survivable.
It illustrates the severity of the impact forces combined with the post-impact fire that exceeded human body tolerance levels.
Final moments
On Friday afternoon, 3 May 2024, a Cessna F406 aircraft with registration V5-ASB departed from Windhoek Eros Airport on a post-maintenance test flight at 17h06.
The intention was to test the aircraft after the right engine was replaced. Once done, they would land back at the airport.
“The crew informed the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) that they would like to do a test flight over the Goreangab Dam area at 8 000 feet above mean sea level. The air traffic controller approved the request and cleared the aircraft for take-off,” the report reads.
The pilot in command then commenced with the take-off.
After rolling for some distance, she commenced with the lift-off.
The ATC watched the departure closely and noticed that before the aircraft crossed over the end of the runway, it was banking sharply to the left.
Thereafter, it rolled further to the left.
He soon realised that the aircraft was out of control and crashing, so he pressed the crash alarm to alert the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS).
The ARFFS informed the ATC that they could see smoke to the west of the airfield and responded immediately to the crash site.
As per the ARFFS protocol, they also informed the City of Windhoek Fire Services.
CCTV camera footage shows that shortly after take-off, a cloud of smoke could be observed around the left engine, consistent with a malfunction in the left engine.
As soon as the smoke around the left engine was observed, the aircraft banked sharply to the left and crashed.
On the day of the incident, when questioned, eyewitnesses close to the crash location testified that they could hear that one of the engines was making stuttering or backfiring sounds before it impacted the ground.
Engelbrecht said when eyewitnesses and members of the Neighbourhood Watch rushed to the crash site, they were met by a fuel-fed fire.
“The AFRRS also rushed to the scene and was on site within seven minutes. They quickly put out the raging fire. They were later joined by the City of Windhoek fire brigade, who assisted. But sadly, all three occupants on board were fatally injured,” he added.
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