At approximately 0338 hours Western Standard Time (WST) on 17 January 1974, Fokker Fellowship F-28-1000 aircraft, registered VH-FKA, overran Runway 10 during a landing at Broome Airport, Western Australia, and became bogged in soft earth. The aircraft was engaged in operating a Regular Public Transport flight and was carrying fifty-six passengers. No one was injured and the damage incurred by the aircraft was minor.

On its return to the mustering area, communication was established with a stockman riding a motor cycle who was directed towards some straggling sheep. The aircraft then dived to a low height to indicate the position of the stragglers.

An impact noise was heard shortly afterwards. Examination of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft had struck the ground in a very steep nose down attitude consistent with an uncompleted recovery from a stall. There was no evidence of any engine defect and it was established that aircraft had adequate- fuel.

On its return to the mustering area, communication was established with a stockman riding a motor cycle who was directed towards some straggling sheep. The aircraft then dived to a low height to indicate the position of the stragglers. As the aircraft pulled up from the dive the pilot said that he had lost sight of the sheep and would dive towards their position again. The aircraft again dived to a low height and climbed away with the wings level. As it commenced to level out at a height estimated as between 300 and 500 feet, the engine noise was heard to cease and it then passed out of the stockman's sight behind a tree. An impact noise was heard shortly afterwards. Examination of the wreckage Indicated that the aircraft had struck the ground in a very steep nose down attitude consistent with an uncompleted recovery from a stall. There was no evidence of any engine defect and it was established that aircraft had adequate- fuel.

At approximately 1259 hours, central standard time, on 14 July, 1974 a parachutist was fatally injured by impact with the ground following a free fall descent near Sanderston, South Australia. Witnesses on the ground saw the three parachutes open but became aware that something was wrong with one which was spiralling to the left and descending much faster than the other two. Observers thought the rigging lines appeared to be twisted for at least three quarters of the way up to the canopy. Just before the parachutist disappeared behind low trees the main parachute was jettisoned and a flash of white was observed as the reserve parachute apparently started to deploy at a very low height.

After take-off, the aircraft circled Moorook and then Kingston -on -Murray after which it headed In a northerly direction until it was again over the Murray River. It then followed the river on a generally westerly heading to Wigley Flat, a small settlement some 22 kilometres east of Waikerie, and, after circling at a low height, continued along the river. As the aircraft followed a bend in the river and was turning to the right, the pilot suddenly saw a power cable immediately ahead but there was insufficient time to take avoiding action before the cable was struck. The aircraft crashed into the river below but the three occupants were able to open the doors and leave the cabin before it sank in deep water.

The pilot spent most of the day of 12 May, 1974 at the Whyalla Airport and, at about 1730 hours, he adjourned to the club house of the local aero club.

Examination of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft had dived steeply at high speed into soft ground and virtually disintegrated at Impact. There was no evidence of any pre-impact structural failure, system malfunction or mechanical failure which could have contributed to the accident. The pilot's watch had stopped because of Impact damage and indicated 4.25 hours. A comparison of the tachometer reading and the aircraft records indicated that the duration of the final flight was 25 minutes. It seems most likely that the accident occurred before first light on the morning of 13 May at which time light rain was falling from high overcast cloud and there was low cloud with a base of 1,000 to 1,500 feet. The pilot did not hold any instrument rating and was therefore restricted to flight in visual meteorological conditions by day. His log book indicated that he had no instrument flight time and that his night flying experience was limited to one dual flight of 15 minutes some nine months prior to the accident.

After a short local flight the aircraft returned to the landing area and made a low run, at a height estimated as between 30 and 100 feet, in a south-easterly direction and passed near the group of persons on the ground. This was followed by a run at a similar height in a north-westerly direction and a further similar run to the south-east. Shortly after passing near the group of spectators on the third run, a steep climb was commenced and, at the top of the climb, the left wing dropped until the aircraft was almost inverted, the nose lowered and the aircraft rotated to the left as it dived towards the ground. The rotation appeared to cease just before the aircraft struck the ground in a steep nose down attitude and burst into flames.

At 1627 hours the wreckage of VH-EQU was located in an area of relatively dense timber 137 metres beyond and 91 metres to the left of the end of Runway 14 at Batchelor. The aircraft had struck the ground at a relatively low speed whilst in a steep nose down, left wing down attitude. The evidence indicates that the aircraft sustained a substantial, but unexplained, loss of power at a low height after take off.

The unmarked area being used as an agricultural airstrip was situated on a narrow ridge aligned north/south. There was high ground to the north and wide deep valleys in all other directions and it was necessary for landings to be made to the north and take-offs to the south. The strip was 365 metres long and it curved 15 degrees to the left at a point 243 metres from the southern end. It sloped down at 2.75 degrees for the first 152 metres and then rose at a 4 degree angle to the loading area which was near level. The central section was about 11 metres wide and the surface of short grass and bare earth was smooth.

The aircraft touched down at about the point where the longitudinal slope changed and in the long grass to the right of the central section. The aircraft ran parallel to the southern portion of the strip and the pilot attempted to steer it left into alignment with the northern section. Although the heading of the aircraft was changed to the left, the wheels skidded on the surface, the path of the aircraft did not change and it failed to follow the curve of the strip. As the aircraft approached a gully where the ground fell away steeply, the pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to "go around". The aircraft became airborne at low speed as the ground fell away but it then descended, struck the steeply sloping ground and overturned. It came to rest at a level about 100 feet below that of the northern end of the strip.

The aircraft was engaged on a newspaper delivery flight from Adelaide to Whyalla with intermediate stops at Port Lincoln and Port Pirie. One passenger was carried.

Examination of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft had first contacted rising ground on a northerly heading, in a climbing attitude and with the wings level. It had then slid uphill for some 130 metres before coming to rest. The accident site was 414 feet above the elevation of the aerodrome. Both propellers were rotating at the time of impact and there was no evidence that the engines were not capable of delivering normal power. The landing gear was retracted and the flaps were fully up. Significant right rudder trim and right wing down aileron trim were set, indicating that an asymmetric power condition had been adopted during the flight.

VH/ULC had been constructed by the pilot and was classed as an amateur-built aircraft. Being an amateur/built aircraft, a flight test schedule was required to be completed before a Certificate of Airworthiness could be granted.

The pilot flew the aircraft several times and on the day of the accident had completed a flight of approximately two hours duration. After the aircraft was refuelled to capacity the pilot made it known that he intended to carry out a further flight and after starting the engine the aircraft was seen to taxi out and takeoff from runway 03 into a 10 to 15 knot headwind. At a height of about 300 ft after takeoff, the engine noise was heard to stop suddenly and the aircraft was seen to turn towards the right. It then descended rapidly and struck the ground in a near vertical nose down attitude. Subsequent examination of the wreckage failed to reveal any evidence of a pre-existing.defect or a reason for the engine's sudden loss of power.