Date & Time:
Aug 6, 1976 at 1103 LT
Type of aircraft:
GAF Nomad N.24
Operator:
Government Aircraft Factories - GAF
Registration:
VH-SUZ
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Avalon - Avalon
MSN:
10
YOM:
1975
Country:
Australia
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total hours on type:
73
Aircraft flight hours:
139
Circumstances:
At approximately 1103 hours Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 6 August 1976 the pilot of Nomad N24 aircraft Serial Number 10 encountered control difficulty at a height of about 950 feet immediately after taking off at Avalon Aerodrome. The aircraft entered a descending turn to the left through about 175 degrees and struck the ground. The pilot was killed; the occupant of the other pilot seat, an observer, sustained injuries which resulted in his death two days later; and the third occupant, the flight test engineer, was seriously injured.
Probable cause:
The cause of the accident was that the simplified design criterion which was used to justify freedom from flutter during the flight testing of various tail plane modifications was not valid for a design which included tab trailing edge T strips.
Final Report:
VH-SUZ.pdf18.34 MB
