Cessna S550 accident near George, Za, January 23, 2020
On January 23, 2020 at about 8:53 am local time, a Cessna S550, registered ZSCAR, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near George. It was flown under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 3 people were killed.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 2020 · about 8:53 am local time
- Place
- George, Za · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cessna S550 · all S550s on the register
- Registration
- ZSCAR · no longer on the register · serial S550-0078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 23, 2020, about 0853 coordinated universal time, a Cessna S550, ZS-CAR, impacted mountainous terrain under unknown circumstances while conducting aerial surveying operations near George, South Africa. The two crew members and one passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was operated under the pertinent civil regulations of the government of South Africa. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of South Africa. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by the Government of South Africa. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Civil Aviation Authority Accident & Incident Investigation Division Private Bag X 73 Halfway House 1685 South Africa Tel.: +27 (0) 11 545-1055/1050 Website: http://www.caa.co.za
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during maneuvering defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR20WA082.