Loss of control involving a Kawasaki Heavy Industries G3B-KH4, VH-DEF, 20 km west-north-west of Mackay Aerodrome, Queensland, on 24 March 1998

The pilot of the aircraft reported that the helicopter was being used to spray a sugarcane crop when he attempted to avoid a bird. As he banked the helicopter to the right, he heard two bangs and decided to land the helicopter in an adjacent fallow paddock. During the attempted landing, the helicopter yawed right, and the right skid dug into the ground, rolling the helicopter onto its right side. The pilot was not injured. Examination revealed that the right spray boom had struck the crop during the attempt to avoid the bird.

A portable ELT was carried in the cabin, but it was not activated by the pilot.