Summary
The aircraft was engaged on a charter flight to uplift five persons and the cabin seating was so arranged. When
a sixth passenger was presented the pilot agreed to carry the extra person, seated on the floor of the aircraft
and without a safety belt. A quantity of unsecured freight and baggage was also carried in the.rear of the cabin.
Weather information passed to the aircraft en route warned of moderate to severe turbulence and the Perth
Airport weather was 7/8 of cloud with a base of 500 feet and visibility down to 2,000 yards in rain. The flight
proceeded normally to a position some 24 miles east of Perth, where an area of severe turbulence was encountered.
The aircraft was in cloud at an altitude of 5, 000 feet and the pilot first used full power and a high
nose attitude to counteract a sharp rate of descent. He then lowered the nose and reduced power to cope with a
severe updraft. The effect of these manoeuvres and the resultant steep dive and recovery was that the unsecured
passenger and freight forcibly contacted alternately the ceiling and the floor of the cabin slightly
injuring the passenger and damaging some of the freight. This manoeuvre cycle was probably repeated before
the aircraft eventually broke cloud with a ground clearance of 1,000 feet and the pilot regained control. During
these manoeuvres the aircraft sustained extensive damage to the main spars and other major components.
Instrument flight was then resumed and an instrument approach and a normal landing made at Perth Airport.
