Piper PA28/140 Cherokee, VH-PTD, Narromine, NSW, 24 September 1970

197001296

Summary

The pilot, who was the general manager of the irrigation property on which the accident occurred, and his passenger, who was the farm manager of the same property, were on an inspection flight to observe accumulations of water from recent rain. The aircraft circled and manoeuvred over various sections of the property at a height of about 500 feet for approximately fifteen minutes and was then seen to make a shallow descent towards the homestead buildings. It flew towards a position where two employees were working adjacent to the property workshop and at a height of some 28 feet while still approaching the workshop area, it struck power cables. The forward movement of the aircraft was retarded, it nosed up steeply, then rolled to the left and dived to the ground steeply nose down. Several seconds after impact, the aircraft burst into flames and was completely destroyed by fire.

Occurrence summary

Investigation number 197001296
Occurrence date 24/09/1970
Location Narromine
Report release date 22/03/1971
Report status Final
Investigation type Occurrence Investigation
Investigation status Completed
Mode of transport Aviation
Aviation occurrence category Wirestrike
Occurrence class Accident
Highest injury level Fatal

Aircraft details

Manufacturer Piper Aircraft Corp
Model PA-28
Registration VH-PTD
Serial number 159
Operation type Private
Departure point Narromine
Destination Narromine