Oceania

The aircraft was engaged in an aerial topdressing operation on a farm near Matamata, sowing a mixture of superphosphate and lime along with some other ingredients. After about two hours of normal operations a break was taken while the farm fertilizer bin was replenished from a truck. This was taken as an opportunity to refuel the aircraft. After the truck had departed the aircraft was loaded with 22 hundredweight ( cwt ) of fertilizer mixture and the 14th flight of the day was commenced. The loader driver lost sight of the plane after it took off and was reloading for the next sortie when he noticed that the fertilizer truck had stopped halfway down the farm road. The truck driver came running back to say that the plane had crashed. The aircraft was found on the side of a gully about 250 metres from the end of the airstrip. It was completely wrecked but there was no fire. This was not a survivable accident. The pilot was killed instantly. Evidence showed that the plane had failed to attain takeoff speed and had lifted off briefly then settled back, striking the rear fuselage heavily against the ground and then running through the fence at the end of the strip in a nose high attitude. It became airborne again colliding with a tree while in a 90-degree bank to the right and dived steeply into the gully. The weather was partly cloudy with a northerly wind of 3 to 5 knots. The visibility was good. Weather does not seem to be a factor.

At a height of approximately 50 feet after take-off the engine suddenly lost all power. The pilot was able to glide the aircraft over several drainage banks, two fences and an irrigation canal but a high rate of descent developed and the aircraft landed heavily and overturned. Fire broke out and the central section of the fuselage was burnt out. The pilot, sole on board, was slightly injured.

The single engine aircraft departed Hokitika Airport on a local skydiving flight, carrying four skydivers and one pilot. The ripcord of the reserve parachute of one of the jumpers was snagged as he climbed out of the cockpit and the chute streamed and began to deploy. The jumper struck the tailplane as he was dragged aft, damaging it, and the Fletcher went out of control and dived into the ground. The remaining parachutists all escaped the crashing plane by the use of their parachutes but the pilot, who was not wearing a parachute, was killed in the crash. The jumper whose reserve had accidentally deployed suffered a head injury which rendered him unconscious briefly but landed safely.

After takeoff from Norfolk Island Airport, while climbing, the twin engine aircraft lost height and crashed into the sea. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

En route from Tabubil to Telefomin, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances on Mt Musaka. Two passengers were seriously injured while 9 other occupants were killed.

The aircraft crash landed after the pilot used flaps and power to semi control pitch after the elevator down control cable failed at about 300 feet agl on final approach. The left wing of the aircraft hit the terminal roof during the stall mush from 50 feet agl. The company is changing their aircraft control cables from steel to stainless steel to aid in the anti-corrosion and modifying their inspection period from 800 to 100 hours between inspections. The cable that separated failed from corrosion. No evidence of fatigue cracking or mechanical wear was found. Corrosion products were found within 2 inches of the serapation on both cable pieces.

Prior to departure the pilot had received a weather forecast which indicated that fog could be expected at the destination. Adequate fuel was carried in the aircraft tanks to allow for a considerable period of holding and/or a diversion to another aerodrome if required. After an apparently normal flight of 35 minutes the aircraft arrived in the Goulburn area and the pilot reported his intention to carry out a standard instrument approach. The manoeuvres associated with this procedure do not involve flight over the city of Goulburn, however witnesses observed the aircraft as it circled over the city several times at a relatively low height. It was then seen to roll and descend steeply before striking two houses. A fierce fire broke out which engulfed the aircraft and both residences. The three persons on board the aircraft and a person in one of the houses received fatal injuries. A detailed inspection of the wreckage revealed that the camshaft of the left engine had failed in flight and the pilot had apparently feathered the propeller. The engine was not operating at the time of impact. No other defect or malfunction was discovered which might have contributed to the development of the accident. It was determined that the particular camshaft had failed from fatigue cracking, resulting from defective manufacture. It was considered likely that when the aircraft arrived over Goulburn, shallow fog obscured all or part of the aerodrome. The lights of the city would have been clearly visible and the pilot probably decided to use the city, rather than the nearby radio navigation aid, as a convenient holding point while waiting for conditions at the aerodrome to improve. During a series of left hand orbits, and after advising his intention to conduct an instrument approach, the pilot experienced a complete failure of the left engine. In order to realise the available single-engine performance of the aircraft the pilot had to perform a series of checks and actions which would result in the applicable propeller being feathered; any unnecessary aerodynamic drag being reduced; and an appropriate airspeed being established. It was determined that although the propeller had probably been feathered, the landing gear, which had evidently been lowered previously, had not been raised to reduce drag. In addition, an analysis of radar returns from the aircraft, recorded at Canberra, indicated that the airspeed at which the aircraft was flying shortly before radar contact was lost, was less than the optimum figure. The final manoeuvre described by witnesses was consistent with that which follows a loss of control in twin engine aircraft when power is being supplied by only one engine and the speed is below the minimum required for full control. The reason the pilot did not raise the landing gear and maintain the required minimum control speed could not be established.

The single engine airplane departed Waimate Airport, bound to a local farm for a crop spraying mission, carrying one passenger and one pilot. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing to an altitude of about 300-400 feet, the aircraft entered a stratus area when the engine apparently lost power. The aircraft entered a nose-down attitude then crashed in the Waihao River. The passenger was killed and the pilot was seriously injured. The aircraft was totally destroyed.

Shortly after take-off during a spreading operation the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot dumped the load and operated the fuel boost pump, however after a short burst of power the engine failed completely. The pilot was committed to a downwind landing and towards the end of the landing roll the aircraft ran into a gully and collided with tree stumps. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and the pilot was slightly injured.

The aircraft was engaged on a night freighter service from Cairns (CNS) to Brisbane (BNE) with intermediate stops at Townsville (TSV) and Proserpine (PPP). The flight departed Cairns at 18:47 hours. After arriving at Townsville the aircraft was refuelled and additional freight loaded before departing for Proserpine at 19:47 hours. The aircraft was cleared to track direct to Proserpine on climb to FL250. At 20:08 hours the pilot reported that the aircraft had left FL250 on descent into Proserpine and requested a clearance to track to intercept the 310 omni radial inbound for a DME Arrival. This request was approved and a short time later the aircraft reported established on the radial. At 20:16 hours, in answer to a question from Townsville Control, the aircraft reported at 2600 feet and was instructed to call Townsville Flight Service Unit. The aircraft complied with this instruction, and after the initial contact no further transmissions were received from the aircraft. The wreckage was located approximately 4 kilometres north-west of the threshold of runway 11 and in line with that runway. The aircraft had been destroyed by impact forces and the ensuing fire. A witness, who lived near the final approach path of the aircraft, reported that she observed the aircraft when it was on final approach. Analysis of her observations indicated that when she sighted the aircraft it was at a lower height than normal for the type of approach that the pilot reported would be flown. At the time of the sighting she did not notice anything unusual about the operation of the aircraft. Other persons at the Proserpine Aerodrome at the time of the accident reported rainstorms and strong winds in the vicinity.