Accident | |
---|---|
Date | March 5, 2021 |
Summary | Crashed following tail rotor collision with terrain |
Site | Xumabee, Botswana 23°26′21″S 25°45′06″E / 23.4393°S 25.7516°E |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Robinson R44 II |
Registration | ZS-SBM |
Flight origin | Matsieng Air Strip, Botswana |
Destination | Xumabee Game Ranch, Botswana |
Occupants | 2 |
Passengers | 1 |
Crew | 1 |
Fatalities | 1 |
Injuries | 1 |
Survivors | 1 |
On the 5th of March, 2021, a Robinson R44 helicopter crashed in the outskirts of Xumabee near Sojwe in Botswana. There were two people onboard the R44: The pilot, Leonard Matenje, director for Air Technology Services, treasurer of Professional Hunters Association and the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association, who survived, and Sasa Klaas, a Motswana musician, who died at the scene. [1] [2]
The helicopter involved in the accident was a Robinson R44 II, with registration ZS-SBM. [3] The helicopter was previously involved in a minor accident on August 1, 2015, that resulted in the left skid collapsing. The cause of that accident was the result of a student performing an autorotation landing with decaying rotor RPM. [4] [5]
The Ministry of Transport and Communications released a statement stating the Directorate of Accident Investigation in the ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) had started to investigate into the accident.[ citation needed]
According to the final report released on December 6, 2021, by the Directorate of Accident Investigation in the ministry (DAI), the report stated that:
"The probable cause of this occurrence was the helicopter's tail rotor colliding with terrain and leading to the helicopter's crash."
The DAI also identified the following contributing factors: