Description

On 24 September 2009 a BAe Jetstream 41 being operated by SA Airlink on a positioning flight from Durban to Pietermaritzburg with only three crew members on board experienced an engine fire during take off and after reaching a height of about 500 feet agl then entered a semi controlled descent to a high impact forced landing in a residential area about 1400 metres beyond the runway end. The three occupants were all seriously injured and the aircraft commander subsequently died as a result of his injuries. A fourth person on the ground was also injured.

Investigation

An Investigation was carried out by the Accident and Incident Investigation Division (AIID) of the South African CAA. Both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) were recovered from the wreckage and successfully read out at the UK AAIB. Both contained a full record of the accident flight.

It was established that the First Officer had been PF and that the positioning cabin crew member had occupied the flight deck jump-seat.