Spatial distortion

On Wednesday, 20 December 2023, a pilot and two transmission line workers on-board a Bell 407 helicopter with registration ZS-RXO took off from Majuba Venus Power Station landing zone (LZ) in KwaZulu-Natal province to conduct aerial work on the T299 mast (a section of Majuba Venus Power Station). The pilot intended to land back at the departure landing zone.

- Charlie Marais

Occurrence detail (SACAA 10406)

The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions (VMC) by day and under the provisions of Part 127 of the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011 as amended. The pilot reported that after take-off they flew approximately 20 nautical miles south of Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal province to install the bird diverters on the earth conductor located near the T299 mast. The crew used headsets to communicate. The area where the bird diverters were to be installed was on a down slope. Upon arrival at the site, the pilot positioned the helicopter’s nose to point away from the slope. Thereafter, the first transmission line worker began installing the bird diverters after confirming with the pilot via the headset that all was clear. The first worker who was installing the bird diverters wore a safety harness that was secured to the helicopter; he sat on the right skid gear whilst installing the diverters.