On the day preceding the accident the station manager was informed that the pilot hired to carry out the muster would be late in arriving. He asked a stockman, who was a station employee, if he would carry out spotting duties until the other pilot arrived. About 20 minutes after the operation had commenced, the ground party heard the sounds of an aircraft impact. The pilot stated that he had been flying at between 400 and 500 feet above the ground when he lost control of the aircraft in a turn. The aircraft was discovered to have struck the ground while in a nose-low, stalled condition. The engine was not developing power at the time of impact, however no defect was subsequently found with the engine or systems of the aircraft. The pilot did not hold a mustering endorsement and had apparently not received formal training in low level operations.
