Summary
The aircraft departed Brickhouse Station airstrip 8 miles north-east of Carnarvon to rendezvous with five
stockmen in vehicles at a well on the property. Burt, who was an experienced aerial mustering pilot,
occupied the right seat and Boddington, whose flying experience was limited and who was not qualified to
perform aerial mustering, occupied the left seat. It is hot known which pilot was In command but it is
probable that Boddington was manipulating the controls. After air-to-ground radio communication was
established, the mustering operation commenced with the ground party making its way south-west through
the scrub and the aircraft flying low overhead and diving to indicate any cattle sighted.
After about an hour, during which the operation proceeded without incident, one of the stockmen noticed
the aircraft approach his position in a shallow dive from the north. When it was overhead, the aircraft
turned towards the south-east. The stockman took this to indicate that he was positioned correctly. A
few seconds later his attention was again drawn to the aircraft by a change in the sound of the engine.
He looked to the east and saw the aircraft about 1/4 mile away in a steep dive only 50 feet above the ground.
The aircraft did not recover from the dive and subsequent examination of the wreckage showed that the
angle at impact had been almost vertical.
It has not been possible to determine the cause of the accident from the available evidence but a likely
explanation is that the pilot lost control of the aircraft while manoeuvring at low level.
