8145 - South African Civil Aviation Authority
8145 - South African Civil Aviation Authority
8145 - South African Civil Aviation Authority
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Section/division AIID Form Number: CA 12-12a<br />
Telephone number: 011-545-1000 E-mail address of originator:<br />
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT<br />
Name of Owner/Operator : Tristam Burrell<br />
Manufacturer : Fly Products (Home Built)<br />
Model : PPC (Rotax 503)<br />
Nationality : <strong>South</strong> <strong>African</strong><br />
Registration Marks : None<br />
Place : Cato Ridge<br />
Date : 18-06-2006<br />
Time : 0700Z<br />
All times given in this report are Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) and will be denoted by (Z). <strong>South</strong><br />
<strong>African</strong> Standard Time is UTC plus 2 hours.<br />
Purpose of the Investigation :<br />
In terms of Regulation 12.03.1 of the <strong>Civil</strong> <strong>Aviation</strong> Regulations (1997) this report was compiled in the<br />
interest of the promotion of aviation safety and the reduction of the risk of aviation accidents or incidents and<br />
not to establish legal liability.<br />
Disclaimer:<br />
This report is given without prejudice to the rights of the CAA, which are reserved.<br />
1. FACTUAL INFORMATION<br />
1.1 History of Flight<br />
1.1.1 The pilot was in two minds about flying that day as he had a slight head cold but in<br />
the end decided to fly an introductory flight to a visiting passenger from the Western<br />
Cape. He together with the passenger took-off from the Cato Ridge airfield and<br />
headed down into the Valley of a Thousand Hills area to follow the Duzi River. The<br />
visibility was hazy in the valley and this made things more difficult to see.<br />
1.1.2 A PPC (powered parachute) flies at very slow speeds so one has plenty of time to<br />
see things and take in the scenery. While flying low over the river, the pilot suddenly<br />
realised that there was a power line ahead and initiated a climb, with a turn to the<br />
right to try and avoid impacting the power lines.<br />
1.1.2 The trike unit under flew the power lines and the canopy overflew the top of the<br />
power lines. The angle at which they impacted with the power lines caused them to<br />
slide down the length of the lines, supported by the canopy, which was caught on<br />
top of the power lines. The weight of the trike resulted in the failure of two of the<br />
power lines which fell on top of the trike as it hit the ground. One of the power lines<br />
broke the circuit breaker, which started a process of timed pulses or bursts of<br />
current to try and restore the connection. When a connection cannot be restored,<br />
the system is tripped. The resulting three pulses shocked the pilot three times and<br />
the passenger twice; the passenger was able to free himself from the trike in time<br />
before the third pulse was delivered. The pilot was still alive and was freed by the<br />
passenger and some locals who assisted him. The pilot later died in the passengers<br />
CA 12-12a 23 FEBRUARY 2006 Page 2 of 6