On the day prior to the accident the aircraft was flown to Griffith by the pilot and was left with a maintenance organization for a 100 hourly Inspection. The pilot has said that, on the following morning, the licensed aircraft maintenance engineer responsible for the inspection drew his attention to a slight oil leak from around the blanking plug at the forward end of the crankshaft and attempted to rectify the leak by using a hammer and punch. This has been denied by the engineer. The aircraft departed Griffith and climbed to a cruising altitude of 1000 to 1500 feet. After about 30 minutes a fine oil mist appeared on the windscreen and gradually increased until forward visibility became impaired. The pilot decided to return to Griffith and changed heading accordingly. Oil slicks were now appearing on the upper engine cowl and on the wings and forward vision became completely obscured. The pilot selected a large field below the aircraft and prepared to execute a precautionary landing. He obtained a limited amount of lateral vision by opening the canopy slightly. While the aircraft was banking, he was able to choose an approach path over pine trees but as soon as the wings were leveled he was unable to see ahead. He then became aware that the aircraft was on the point of stalling so lowered the nose and opened the throttle but the engine failed to respond. The left wing tip struck a tree branch and the aircraft landed heavily on the left main wheel and wing tip. The nosewheel entered rough ground and was torn off and the nose strut dug progressively into the ground causing the aircraft to nose over to an Inverted position after which It slid 46 metres. After the aircraft came to rest the pilot, with some difficulty, released himself and dragged his passenger clear of the wreckage. Subsequent examination of the wreckage revealed that a blanking plug was missing from the forward end of the crankshaft and this had allowed the inflight oil loss. The engine was completely exhausted of oil and was approaching the point of seizure. The failure of the engine to respond to throttle movement during the latter part of the approach was probably the result of complete blockage of the air intake filter by oil.

At 1340 hours EST on 18 August, 1974, a parachutist was fatally injured on impact with the ground following a free fall parachute descent at Wilton, NSW. The parachute was observed to extend fully from the pack, but the canopy, which was squidding, failed to inflate.

At approximately 1822 hours Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 31 May 1974 Fokker Friendship F-27-100 aircraft, registered VH-EWL, crashed adjacent to Runway 35 at Bathurst aerodrome, New South Wales, during an attempted go-around from a landing approach. 

The aircraft came to rest after sliding 625 metres from the impact point and sustained substantial damage. 

VH-EWL was engaged in operating a regular public transport flight with a crew of four and was carrying thirty passengers. Both members of the flight crew, and six passengers, received minor injuries; no other persons were injured.

Parts of the tail plane were found in an area 550 metres from the main wreckage. Examination of these parts revealed evidence of failure as a result of in-flight loads being experienced in excess of their ultimate structural strength. There was no evidence of any pre-existing structural deficiency in the failed components. The nature and direction of the tailplane failures show they could only have occurred in a grossly abnormal condition of flight such as a complete loss of control. Very active thunderstorms were reported in the area at about the estimated time of the accident. These could have Induced a loss of control arising either from pilot disorientation in cloud or an upset in severe turbulence.

At approximately 1537 hours Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 13 March 1974, a De Havilland Dove DH1D4 Series 5 aircraft, registered VH-WST, and a Piper Twin Comanche PA30-160B aircraft, registered VH-WWB, collided in flight above a point 3 225 metres north of Bankstown Airport, Sydney, New South Wales.

The Dove aircraft had taken-off from Bankstown Airport and was orbiting the airport at about 1 500 feet above terrain before proceeding to Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport. Some two minutes later the Twin Comanche aircraft also took-off from Bankstown Airport and was proceeding to a training area in the vicinity of Camden. The collision occurred in the Bankstown Control Zone in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), and both aircraft were operating under the Visual Flight Rules (VFR).

Following the mid-air impact, both aircraft fell to the ground in a residential area of the suburb of Bass Hill, causing damage to houses and other property. The sole occupant of the Dove aircraft and the three occupants of the Twin Comanche aircraft were killed. Both aircraft were destroyed by the collision and ground impact.

At approximately 1445 hours, EST, on 29 December, 1974 a Cessna 172K aircraft, registered VH-KUE, crashed into the sea some eight kilometres north of Slade Point, Queensland. The bodies of two of the three occupants of the aircraft and portions of the aircraft wreckage were subsequently located and recovered from the sea.

At approximately 1045 hours EST on 25 April, 1974 a parachutist was fatally injured on impact with the ground following a free fall descent near Beaudesert, Queensland. Examination of the equipment after the accident revealed that the main parachute had been activated and there was nothing to suggest it would not have fully deployed if there had been sufficient time and height available. The reserve parachute was intact and had not been activated. There was no evidence of any defect or error in the packing of either parachute which might have contributed to the accident. Examination of the altimeter did not indicate any defect which might have affected its normal operation prior to the accident.

The main rotor blades made contact with objects on the deck of the barge and three bystanders were struck by flying debris. The helicopter then fell into the water and subsequently the pilot swam clear of the wreckage. The cause of the accident was that the helicopter was operated in unsafe proximity to the barge.

On 16 February, 1974 a Beech 95/B55 Baron aircraft registered VH-FWR disappeared whilst on a flight from Gladstone to Longreach, Queensland, and no trace has been found of the aircraft or its two occupants.

The search for the aircraft continued on an intense scale until 25 February, 1974. During this time civil and military aircraft flew a total of 532 hours and searched an area in excess of 40,000 square miles, within which the areas of high probability were examined many times. Much of the eastern section of the search area consists of rough mountainous terrain covered with dense tropical vegetation. A number of sighting and hearing reports were received and investigated but the aircraft and its occupants have not been located.

At approximately 1830 hours Eastern Standard Time on 9 February, 1974, a parachutist was fatally injured on impact with the ground following a free fall descent at Mareeba Aerodrome, two kilometres south of Mareeba, Queensland.

The cause of the accident was that, following non-deployment of the main parachute, the reserve parachute canopy was seriously damaged when it inverted during deployment. There is insufficient evidence available to determine the reason for the canopy inversion.