The flight had been planned as a scenic tour of the snowfields near Cooma and two of the passengers had travelled a considerable distance to participate. The forecast ordered for the route indicated that the weather was unsatisfactory and the flight was postponed and a second forecast was then obtained. The pilot decided that the flight was possible under the Visual Flight Rules although the first part of the route would have to be flown above cloud. After taking off the aircraft climbed through a hole in the cloud and set course, climbing to 8, 000 feet on top of complete cloud cover. Shortly afterwards the pilot was advised by radio that a light aircraft in the area had reported 8/8 cloud, base 5,500 feet and the pilot elected to descend through the cloud although he held no instrument rating and had virtually no experience of instrument flying. With the aircraft still in cloud at 4,200 feet, the pilot turned back towards Wollongong and began to climb to regain visual flight. Before he was able to top the cloud, the instruments appeared to give some unexpected indications and the pilot lost control. Several violent manoeuvres then took place before control was regained and the climb resumed. Again the pilot was unable to maintain control and eventually the aircraft broke cloud just above heavy timber in conditions of very limited visibility. This situation left the pilot with a severely restricted choice of alternatives and the aircraft was subsequently flown into the tops of the trees and crashed to the ground 120 feet below.

At 1314 hours EST on 14 June, 1971, a Cessna 150F aircraft, registered VH-DFD, and a Cessna 182K aircraft, registered VH-GAC, collided at a height of 1000 feet above ground level whilst on the downwind leg of a circuit of the aerodrome prior to landing on Runway 18 at Bankstown Airport, New South Wales. Both aircraft sustained substantial damage but they remained in flight and under control and each pilot was able to complete a normal landing on Runway 18 without further damage to either aircraft. Both aircraft continued in flight, completed the remainder of the circuit procedure and landed on the 18 direction landing area at Bankstown at 1318 hours and 1319| hours respectively.

The pilot and the passengers, all residents of Sydney, had flown in the aircraft from Hoxton Park to Dubbo two days earlier. All four took part in bowling club activities during the week-end and, early on Monday morning, proceeded to Dubbo aerodrome to prepare for the return flight. Before departure the pilot received, from the Dubbo Flight Service Unit, area forecasts for the proposed flight and terminal forecasts for several aerodromes including Bathurst and Bankstown. After take-off the pilot made a normal departure report. This was the last transmission heard from the aircraft.

At about 1530 hours EST on the twenty-first of February, 1972, a parachutist was drowned in a dam following a static line parachute descent. The student parachutist, was making her first jump and was under the supervision of the Sydney Parachute Group, which had conducted her training. The training included instruction in the techniques of aircraft exits, canopy control, and landing procedure. The parachutist was equipped with a 28 foot diameter main parachute and a 24 foot diameter reserve parachute. For this descent the main parachute was to be operated by means of a static line and the reserve was equipped with a hand operated ripcord. No defect was discovered in either parachute, the harness, or any of the release mechanisms, which might have contributed to the accident.

A section of road near Narrabri West had been marked for use as an emergency airstrip in connection with flood relief. This section, some 3000 feet in length, was obstruction free over a width of approximately 100 feet, the bituminous sealed road in the centre being 18 feet wide. At the southern end of the selected area a power line crossed the road, 28 feet above the surface, with one supporting pole adjacent to the western side of the road. A line indicating the strip threshold had been painted across the road 140 feet north of this position and a large Cross was painted on the road surface immediately below the power line. The steepness of the approach gradient had been recognised and a diagram of the situation was displayed in the pilot briefing room at Narrabri aerodrome. The strip was in constant use by light aircraft, but although the pilot had been engaged on flood relief for several days he had not previously landed at the strip. On this occasion the pilot sought information concerning the strip before departing Narrabri and he determined the location and length of the strip, but he has since stated that he was not aware of the presence of the wires. He flew across the emergency strip at about the mid point and joined left downwind for a landing from the south, approaching over the wires. The approach was lower than that made by other aircraft and the nosewheel assembly contacted the wires. The aircraft struck the ground in a steep nose down attitude, 116 feet from the power lines and 24 feet short of the strip threshold.

At approximately 2137 hours Eastern Standard Time on 29 January 1971, a Trans-Australia Airlines Boeing 727 aircraft, VH-TJA, struck the tail fin of a Canadian Pacific Airlines DC8-63 aircraft, CF-CPQ, whilst the former was taking off on Runway 16 at Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport, New South Wales. Both aircraft were engaged in regular public transport services and the Boeing 727 aircraft continued with its take-off but landed again at Sydney Airport 40 minutes later after dumping fuel and when preparations for the emergency landing had been completed. At the time of the collision the DC8-63 aircraft was on the ground, having just landed, and it taxied under its own power to the parking apron. Both aircraft were substantially damaged in the collision but none of the 240 persons on board the two aircraft was injured.

The aircraft was being flown at 100 feet above the ground for the purpose of spreading superphosphate. The terrain was hilly and varied in nature from heavily timbered to open paddocks with scattered shade trees. The aircraft was on the last run of a sortie and the hopper load had been almost completely discharged when the engine suddenly ceased to develop power. The pilot gained what height was possible and made a brief check of the engine controls and instruments but he was unable to diagnose the cause of the engine failure. He searched for a place to land and realised that the only area offering a chance of success was to his right and slightly ahead, but very close. He selected full flap and made an approach but noticed, as he neared the field, that the speed was higher than normal for a glide approach. The touchdown was satisfactory but the pilot was unable to stop the aircraft before it ran through a fence and into a tree lined creek. The aircraft remained upright and there was no fire. The entrance door was distorted and jammed and the pilot evacuated the aircraft through the area of the broken windscreen. The total length of the field was 800 feet.

The recent experience of the pilot had been acquired in a Piper PA28-235 aircraft owned by the company with which he was associated. He had not previously flown the Cessna 177 model but this type was included in a group of aircraft endorsed on his licence. Before the flight he was briefed by the owner on the handling characteristics of the aircraft and after normal pre-flight preparation, he and the passenger boarded the aircraft and taxied to the 334 degrees strip. Conditions at the time were hot and moderately gusty with the temperature about 90 degrees F and a north westerly wind of 8 to 12 knots. After checking the engine performance the pilot was not satisfied with the operation of the carburettor heat control and taxied back to the apron. The aircraft owner reassured him of the serviceability of the system and the pilot again taxied to the 334 degrees strip from which, after a further check of engine and flight controls, the aircraft took off. After becoming airborne, the aircraft assumed what appeared to be a normal climb straight ahead, but at a height of 100 to 150 feet it began a turn to the left with an angle of bank of about 15 degrees. The turn continued through approximately 110 degrees then the nose suddenly dropped as the angle of bank increased and the aircraft, still turning, dived to the ground. The passenger was able to escape from the cabin before the wreckage was destroyed by fire, but was prevented by the flames from giving effective assistance to the unconscious pilot.

A take-off was commenced towards the south-east on a heavily grassed strip of adequate length with a crosswind from the north east at 10 to 20 knots. The pilot, who had not calculated the required take-off distance from the chart in the flight manual, was not confident that the aircraft would clear a power line and trees located on the take-off climb path so he abandoned the take-off and allowed the aircraft to roll to the south-east end of the strip. He considered a take-off from this end but decided against it and taxied back to the other end from where take-off was commenced after lining up and applying full power before releasing the brakes. The pilot had ready decided to raise the undercarriage as soon as the aircraft became airborne and this procedure was followed. Immediately following the "UP" selection the aircraft yawed to the left and port wing dipped towards the ground. The pilot applied positive aileron correction but because the aircraft was just above the ground, with the undercarriage retracting, the starboard propeller struck the ground. The aircraft lurched onto the left propeller and then settled in a level attitude and slid to a halt. The pilot vacated quickly and there was no fire.

During a spray run, at a height of 20 to 30 feet, the engine suffered a complete loss of power. After manoeuvring to avoid obstructions the pilot attempted to land in a restricted but relatively flat area bordering a gully. In the landing flare the left main undercarriage struck a small bank and was torn off. The aircraft continued in flight for 192 feet, touched down on the right wheel, swung slightly right and came to rest facing 90 degrees to the line of flight. The pilot turned the ignition and master switches off. As he vacated the aircraft he noticed that thin smoke was coming from the master switch area and under the engine cowling, that paint at the top right rear of the cowling had blistered and was "bubbling", and that the rotating beacon continued temperature. He returned to the aircraft and confirmed that the master switch was off. Some 10 minutes later flames broke out at the rear of the engine.