Manawatu-Wanganui (Horizons Regional Council)

The aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Waitaanga while completing a spraying mission between Taumatunui and Mount Messenger. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was seriously injured.

The aircraft was performing a private tour when enroute, the crew decided to divert to Ohakea AFB due to the deterioration of the weather conditions. On final approach, when full flaps was selected, the aircraft rolled left and right. The pilots could not control the aircraft that struck the runway surface and came to rest. While all occupants were uninjured, the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft took off from Feilding Aerodrome on a visual flight rules flight to Paraparaumu. The normal flight time was about 17 minutes. The pilot and his 2 sons, aged 7 years and 5 years, were on board. Earlier that evening the pilot, his wife and 4 children had attended the pilotís farewell work function in Palmerston North. After the function they all went to Feilding Aerodrome where he prepared ZK-TZC for the flight. The pilotís wife saw him carry out a pre-flight inspection of the aeroplane, including checking the fuel. The pilot seemed to her to be his normal self and he gave her no indication that anything was amiss either with himself or ZK-TZC. She did not see the aeroplane taxi but did see it take off on runway 10 and then turn right. She thought the take-off and the departure were normal and saw nothing untoward. She then drove to Paraparaumu with her 2 younger children, the 2 older boys having left in ZK-TZC with their father. An aviation enthusiast, who lived by the aerodrome boundary, watched ZK-TZC taxi and take off, but he did not see or hear the pilot complete a ground run. He saw the aeroplane take off on runway 10 immediately after it taxied and thought the take-off and departure were normal. He did not notice anything untoward with the aeroplane. A radar data plot provided the time, track and altitude details for ZK-TZC. No radio transmissions from the pilot were heard or recorded by Palmerston North or Ohakea air traffic control. Palmerston North Control Tower was unattended from 2030 on the evening of the accident. The radar data plot showed that after take-off ZK-TZC turned right, climbed to 1000 feet above mean sea level (amsl) and headed for Paraparaumu. When the aeroplane was about 2.7 nautical miles (nm) (5 km) from Feilding Aerodrome and tracking approximately 1.3 nm (2.4 km) northwest of Palmerston North Aerodrome it turned to the left, descended and headed back to Feilding Aerodrome. The aeroplane descended at about 500 feet per minute rate of descent to 400 feet amsl. At 400 feet amsl (about 200 feet above the ground) the aeroplane passed about 0.5 nm (900 m) east of the aerodrome and threshold for runway 28, and joined left downwind for runway 10. In the downwind position the aeroplane was spaced about 0.3 nm (500 m) laterally from the runway at an initial height of 400 feet amsl, or about 200 feet above the ground. ZK-TZC departed from controlled flight when it was turning left at a low height during an apparent approach to land on runway 10, with its undercarriage and flaps extended. ZK-TZC first rotated to face away from the aerodrome before striking the ground in a nose down attitude. The 3 occupants were killed in the impact. Two witnesses, who were about 3.5 km southeast of Palmerston North Aerodrome and about 6 km from the aeroplane, saw the aeroplane at a normal height shortly before it turned back towards Feilding. They described what they thought was some darkish grey smoke behind the aeroplane shortly before it turned around. A witness near Palmerston North recalled seeing the aeroplane in level flight at about 1000 feet before it rolled quickly into a steep left turn and then headed back toward Feilding Aerodrome. After the steep turn the aeroplane descended. He thought that one or both engines were running unevenly. He did not see any smoke or anything unusual coming from the aeroplane. He lost sight of the aeroplane when it was in the vicinity of Feilding. He remembered that at the time it was getting on toward dark and that there was a high cloud base with gusty winds. Another witness travelling on a road from Feilding Aerodrome to Palmerston North saw the aeroplane fly low over his car. He saw the undercarriage extend then retract and that the left propeller was stationary. He believed the other engine sounded normal. He then saw the aeroplane continue toward Feilding Aerodrome and cross the eastern end of the runway. He thought the aeroplane was trying to turn and said it seemed to be quite low and slow. He did not see any smoke coming from the aeroplane. He was not overly concerned because he thought it was a training aeroplane. He said the weather at the time was clear with a high overcast. The aviation enthusiast saw ZK-TZC return for a landing and fly to a left downwind position for runway 10. He thought the aeroplane was quite low. He said the left propeller was feathered and was not turning and believed the right engine sounded normal. He did not see any smoke coming from the aeroplane. He could not recall the position of the undercarriage or flaps. After a while he became concerned when he had not seen the aeroplane land. He described the weather at the time as being fine with good visibility but that it was getting on toward dark. A further witness living near Feilding Aerodrome by the threshold to runway 10 heard the aeroplane coming and then fly overhead. He said the aeroplane sounded very low and very loud, as though its engine was at maximum speed (power). The engine sounded normal, except that it sounded as though it was under high power. He said there was a slight breeze, clear conditions and a high overcast at the time. A couple living by Feilding Aerodrome on the approach path to runway 10 heard the aeroplane coming from a northerly direction. They thought its engine sounded as though it was under a heavy load and said it was making a very loud noise like a topdressing aeroplane. The engine was making a steady sound and was not intermittent or running rough. The steady loud engine noise continued until they heard a loud thump, when the engine noise stopped abruptly. They said that at the time it was getting on toward dark but the weather was clear with good visibility. An eyewitness to the accident saw the aeroplane at a very low height, about the height of some nearby treetops, when it turned left to land. The aeroplane was turning left when she saw it nose up sharply and then suddenly turn back in the opposite direction, before nosing down and hitting the ground nose first. She said the aeroplane seemed to snap in half after it hit the ground.

The aircraft was taking off on the final sowing sortie, after which the pilot was to return to home base. The pilot reported that, on the takeoff roll, the engine appeared to overspeed and that the aircraft failed to get airborne. It subsequently sank into a shallow gully off the end of the strip. After the accident, one propeller blade was found to be free to rotate about its feathering axis. Metallurgical analysis indicated that the pitch change knob on the subject blade failed as the result of ductile overload. A second pitch change knob was also bent and cracked but had not separated from the blade. The overload sustained by the pitch change knobs was determined to have occurred at impact, not in flight. No reason was established for the failure to become airborne.

The topdressing operation had resumed after a break caused by weather deterioration associated with a weakening frontal system in the immediate area. Mist and low cloud had cleared, and the wind had picked up. The pilot was sowing into a narrow, rising valley. It was the sixth run over the same terrain, after an increase in payload. The pilot initially encountered lift then heavy sink. Unable to reverse course within the confines of the narrow valley, and despite the application of full power, 20 degrees of flap and an attempt to dump the payload, he failed to establish a climb. The aircraft stalled in a lefthand turn and impacted the valley side. The aircraft struck left wing first, removing the outer wing section. It then hit the ground flat but turning anti-clockwise and skidded tail first to a halt. The hopper mouth was torn loose, and this and the nose leg disrupted the cockpit floor, trapping the pilot's legs within the cockpit area and inflicting serious injuries. The pilot was wearing full restraint harness and a protective helmet, which undoubtedly saved him from further injury. He suffered some post-impact disorientation, but fortunately there was no post-crash fire. The Police and Fire Services in attendance were unaware of the actions required to secure the aircraft fuel and electrical systems.

The pilot was conducting a topdressing operation in hilly terrain in fine weather. He had stopped sowing and commenced a right hand turn. Considerable height was lost in the turn for reasons undetermined. The aircraft impacted with terrain under power in a 60° banked, 30° nose down attitude. The aircraft was totally destroyed in the impact and post crash fire, the pilot receiving fatal injuries. No technical deficiencies were revealed.

At 08:17 Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 departed Auckland (AKL) as scheduled bound for Palmerston North (PMR). To the north of Palmerston North the pilots briefed themselves for a VOR/DME approach to runway 07 which was the approach they preferred. Subsequently Air Traffic Control specified the VOR/DME approach for runway 25, due to departing traffic, and the pilots re-briefed for that instrument approach. The IMC involved flying in and out of stratiform cloud, but continuous cloud prevailed during most of the approach. The aircraft was flown accurately to join the 14 nm DME arc and thence turned right and intercepted the final approach track of 250° M to the Palmerston North VOR. During the right turn, to intercept the inbound approach track, the aircraft’s power levers were retarded to 'flight idle' and shortly afterwards the first officer advised the captain ".... 12 DME looking for 4000 (feet)". The final approach track was intercepted at approximately 13 DME and 4700 feet, and the first officer advised Ohakea Control "Ansett 703" was "established inbound". Just prior to 12 miles DME the captain called "Gear down". The first officer asked him to repeat what he had said and then responded "OK selected and on profile, ten - sorry hang on 10 DME we’re looking for four thousand aren’t we so - a fraction low". The captain responded, "Check, and Flap 15". This was not acknowledged but the first officer said, "Actually no, we’re not, ten DME we’re..... (The captain whistled at this point) look at that". The captain had noticed that the right hand main gear had not locked down: "I don’t want that." and the first officer responded, "No, that’s not good is it, so she’s not locked, so Alternate Landing Gear...?" The captain acknowledged, "Alternate extension, you want to grab the QRH?" After the First Officer’s "Yes", the captain continued, "You want to whip through that one, see if we can get it out of the way before it’s too late." The captain then stated, "I’ll keep an eye on the airplane while you’re doing that." The first officer located the appropriate "Landing Gear Malfunction Alternate Gear Extension" checklist in Ansett New Zealand’s Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) and began reading it. He started with the first check on the list but the captain told him to skip through some checks. The first officer responded to this instruction and resumed reading and carrying out the necessary actions. It was the operator’s policy that all items on the QRH checklists be actioned, or proceeded through, as directed by the captain. The first officer started carrying out the checklist. The captain in between advised him to pull the Main Gear Release Handle. Then the GPWS’s audio alarm sounded. Almost five seconds later the aircraft collided with terrain. The Dash 8 collided with the upper slope of a low range of hills.

Crashed in unknown circumstances while completing a spraying mission. The pilot, sole on board, was injured. The accident occurred during July, exact date unknown.

An aerial topdressing operation was being carried out from an airstrip near Otangiwai. The sowing area was on an adjacent farm property. The pilot commenced sowing over the higher ground in the area, but as the morning progressed turbulence became significant in the lee of the hills and the highly experienced pilot ( 10,898 flying hours ) decided to turn his attention to the lower part of the farm. Accordingly a sortie was carried out over the northeastern corner of the property. At 10:20 the pilot took off to make another series of sowing runs over the same area. The Fletcher did not come back from this sortie and at about 11:00 the wreckage of ZK-DUI was found. Fire had not occurred.The pilot was dead. The crash site was on a level river flat.The aircraft had dived into the ground at an angle of at least 60 degrees to the horizontal and probably near vertically. The propeller was separated from the engine and buried 1 metre in the soil. Compression damage had severed the fuselage at the middle of the cockpit and the remainder of the aircraft had rebounded and came to rest on the main wheels some 8 metres from the forward fuselage. The rear fuselage was folded in half behind the wing. No fertilizer was in the hopper and there was none in the vicinity of the wreck.The left outer wing panel was found about 100 metres from the rest of the plane. Its leading edge section was missing. Cable marks showed that the LE section had been sheared off from the main spar by a wire cable. The investigation found that the aircraft had collided in flight with a single 11,000 volt conductor, or wire, at roughly the center of the 500 metre span between two poles. The collision was at a height of about 220 feet AGL and about 600 metres from the crash site. The wire was strung across the valley as part of a 4-kilometre-long electrical supply line installed by the local power authority only about five weeks before.

Crashed in unknown circumstances near Kakatahi. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.