Summary
The aircraft was to land at a newly constructed airstrip near the camp of a survey party. At a previous stop
the pilot was given some details of the size of the strip and he assessed it as suitable for the aircraft type. The
aircraft was flown to the strip empty, the pilot made an in flight inspection and a normal landing. After landing,
it became obvious that the width of the strip was below the minimum specified for safe operation and that the
surface was very soft. From the southern end the strip rose 20 feet in 2000 feet and immediately beyond this
crest curved 7 degrees to the right. The pilot warned another aircraft of the company of conditions at the strip
and advised the pilot to divert to a nearby aerodrome. He refuelled the aircraft and then prepared to take off
into the north using approximately 2000 feet of the northern end of the strip in a cross wind of 10 to 15 knots
from the right. The take off began slightly to the left of the strip centre line and the aircraft became briefly
airborne at the crest at a speed of about 70 knots. The aircraft sank back to the ground and because of the
change in direction of the strip at that point and the influence of the cross wind, immediately ran off the strip
to the left. The aircraft tracked over scrub and rough ground until the nosewheel struck a rocky outcrop and
collapsed. The aircraft came to rest 365 feet left of the centre of the strip and 215 feet beyond the northern end.
