Vuwani aircraft crash report reveals pilot’s license had expired

A preliminary report on the aircraft crash in Vuwani, Limpopo last month has revealed that the 22-year-old pilot was operating with an invalid licence.

On the day of the Vuwani accident which occurred on Sunday 23 march, the aircraft was carrying the pilot and two passengers. It crashed after taking off from a private airfield near Nandoni dam outside Thohoyandou while on its way to Louis Trichardt.

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The pilot and the front passenger were seriously injured while the passenger who was seated in the back seat sustained minor injury. He was discharged from the clinic on the same day. The aircraft was completely destroyed.

The SACAA accident and Incident Investigations Division immediately dispatched investigators on site to collect evidence and to prepare a preliminary report. It has since been established that the pilot performed a forced landing due to the engine stoppage.

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In a report released on Tuesday, it was revealed that the Pilot licence expired on 31 December 2024.

“The pilot had an invalid Private Pilot Licence (PPL) initially issued on 18 December 2021 with an expiry date of 31 December 2024. The Regulator does not have a record of the pilot’s licence renewal process in their system,” read the findings of the report.

“Approximately eight minutes into the flight near Makhado Military Aerodrome (FALM), the engine ran rough and the engine’s revolutions per minute (RPM) dropped. The pilot initiated a left to line up with RWY 10 at FALM, he also switched on the carburettor heat to avoid carburettor icing. However, the engine stopped. The pilot attempted to restart it but was unsuccessful,” it further read. 

It was also not the first time that the pilot was involved in an aircraft accident. According to the report issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority [SACAA], the pilot was involved in an accident on 21 April 2024.

It is said on that date the pilot aborted take-off due to a bug that had lodged in the pitot tube. As a result this caused the airspeed readings to remain at zero. The pilot could not bring the aircraft to a safe stop on the remaining runway. He decided to exit to the right to minimise damage.