A South African Air Force (SAAF) Casa-212 aircraft from 44 Squadron was involved in a crash-landing incident at Lohatlha Combat Training Centre in the Northern Cape on Wednesday, 22 November 2023. The aircraft was taking part in Exercise VUKUHLOME 2023, a joint military exercise involving the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the Botswana Defence Force (BDF).
The SAAF said that no one was injured in the incident and that a board of inquiry would be convened to determine the cause of the incident and the extent of the damage to the aircraft. The statement also said that the members of the South African Medical Health Service were swiftly on site to provide necessary medical support.
The SAAF’s 44 Squadron operates four C212s, which are used for light transport and parachute training. The squadron has faced several challenges in maintaining the ageing fleet, which was inherited from the former homelands’ air wings in 1994. According to Armscor, the state-owned defence company, a maintenance contract with Airbus was in progress and spares and repairs were provided to the SAAF to make the fleet serviceable.
However, the fleet has suffered a number of incidents over the years. In October 2008, one C212 was damaged by a gust of wind on takeoff from Air Force Base Bloemspruit, and in January 2013, another C212 landed heavily and ran off the runway at the same base. In May this year, a third C212 had a brake lock and ran off the side of the runway at Air Force Base Waterkloof, causing damage to the right wingtip.
The future of the SAAF’s C212 fleet is uncertain, as the air force grapples with budget constraints and operational requirements. The SAAF is also facing similar challenges with its Douglas C-47 Dakota fleet, which is used for maritime patrol and electronic warfare. The lack of a maintenance solution for the C-47TP variant has raised questions about whether this iconic aircraft might be permanently grounded.