Collision with terrain - Cessna Agtruck, VH-KZF, 25 km east of Geraldton Airport, Western Australia, on 14 September 2010

On 14 September 2010, the pilot of a Cessna A188B/A1 Agtruck aircraft, registered VH-KZF, was conducting aerial spraying operations about 25 km east of Geraldton Airport, Western Australia.

The pilot commenced the take-off from an elevated, 700m long gravel airstrip on the eleventh of 12 flights, during which the aircraft did not achieve the required take-off performance. In an attempt to become airborne before the end of the useable runway surface, the pilot elected to dump some of the chemical load and continued the take-off.

The diminished aircraft performance was such that, despite the reduced chemical load, the aircraft did not accelerate to the required take-off speed before the runway overshoot area. The aircraft made contact with a tree stump that was embedded in thick weed and likely further reduced the aircraft's ability to sustain flight. The aircraft subsequently collided with terrain a short distance from the departure end of the airstrip.

The pilot was fatally injured, and the aircraft was seriously damaged by the impact forces and an intense post-impact fire.

The investigation did not identify any organisational or systemic issues that might adversely affect the future safety of aviation operations. However, the accident does provide a timely reminder of the need for performance planning and the continual assessment of the effect of changing conditions on that planning.