During the night before the accident the pilot consumed a
considerable quantity of alcoholic liquor and he retired to bed at
about 0230 hours. Later that morning at approximately 1100 hours,
he entered a hotel bar at Sea Lake and left about mid-day after
consuming alcoholic liquor. Accompanied by the three passengers who
had been drinking with him in the hotel, the pilot refuelled the
aircraft before taking off for Albury. The weather conditions were
good. During the flight of l| hours at least six bottles of beer
were consumed by the occupants. On several occasions the aircraft
descended close to the ground and on one such occasion the aircraft
flew through a barley crop to a depth of at least two feet, and
climbed away with the spray boom bent and barley stalks trailing
from the structure,, Some time later the aircraft descended below
tree top height, began a steep bank to the right across the
boundary fence of a cleared paddock and struck the ground with the
right wing tip approximately 80 feet beyond the fence. The aircraft
then dived into the ground and was destroyed. The two surviving
passengers were thrown clear of the aircraft.
