VH-NJC, was en route from Cairns to Ayers Rock cruising at flight level (FL)280. VH-TAJ was en route Darwin to Adelaide, cruising at FL330. The crossing point of the two tracks was approximately 100 nautical miles east of Alice Springs. Near the intersection of the two tracks, the pilot of VH-TAJ requested a clearance from air traffic control to descend to FL270. This was approved.

Subsequently the air traffic controller realised VH-TAJ did not have the required lateral separation from VH-NJC. He checked the level of VH-TAJ, but the aircraft had left FL285 on descent. The aircraft was allowed to continue the descent as both aircraft were well clear of each other, but within the area of lateral confliction.

The pilot was taking off to the north with a wind from approximately 340 degrees at about 40 knots. During the take-off run the wind veered to the west and the pilot lost directional control. The aircraft ran off the strip to the left and collided with a ditch, breaking off the nosewheel and damaging the propeller. The pilot reported that he had previously flown in similar wind conditions but on this occasion was caught by the sudden wind change.

About 200 feet above the ground on initial climb after take-off, the engine began to run roughly and within seconds it stopped. The pilot attempted a forced landing into the paddock off the end of the airstrip. During the forced landing the aircraft clipped a farm fence and landed heavily. Subsequently, a Civil Aviation Authority Airworthiness Surveyor examined the wrecked aircraft and conducted a successful engine ground run with its ROTAX 532 engine. No defects were found with the aircraft. The nature of the engine failure was consistent with carburettor icing.

Conditions at the time were conducive to carburettor icing; the temperature was 7 degrees Celsius and the dewpoint 5 degrees. A Cessna 152 suffered an engine failure due to carburettor icing while taxiing at the same airport minutes after the accident. This Kitfox was not equipped with carburettor heat. The Civil Aviation Authority is assessing the need for the mandatory installation of a suitable carburettor heat device to the Kitfox.

Significant Factors

The following factors were considered relevant to the development of the accident:

1. The aircraft was not equipped with carburettor heat.

2. The aircraft encountered conditions conducive to carburettor icing.

Soon after take-off, on initial climb, the left engine lost power because the mechanical fuel pump failed. The pilot feathered the left propeller and landed safely back at Yarrawonga.

Significant Factor

The following factor was considered relevant to the development of the incident:

1. The engine driven mechanical fuel pump failed in flight.

After the aircraft cleared the runway after landing, the tower reported what appeared to be a fire in the starboard engine. The engine was shut down and the fire bottle discharged. The aircraft then taxied to its allocated parking bay followed by the RFFS vehicles.

Investigation revealed there had been no engine fire, but the APU was 'torching' from the tail pipe. The APU igniter plug, fuel atomiser and combustor liner were changed and the APU then operated normally.

The aircraft was being landed in a crosswind by a pilot undergoing a check by the operator. It bounced three times, and the pilot decided to go around. After lift-off, as the landing gear was retracting, the pilot reported that the aircraft was affected by windshear and touched down again. The aircraft came to rest on the runway.

The pilot landed the helicopter in an easterly direction on a landing platform on the side of a hill. The helipad was at a drilling site in a rain forest area. As the wind was a light northerly, the pilot decided to reposition the helicopter by turning it to face into wind. As he manoeuvred the helicopter, he did not see an upright stick which contacted the spinning tail rotor.

Significant Factor

The following factor was considered relevant to the development of the accident:

1. The pilot did not to see an obstacle prior to manoeuvring the helicopter.

The pilot, accompanied by an observer, was involved in the search for a missing child. While tracking along the Buchannan Highway, about 14 km west of the Stuart Highway intersection, footprints were noticed on the road, so it was decided to land and investigate. During the later part of the approach the pilot noticed that the GPS aerial, which is normally attached to the lid of the GPS unit, had fallen down into the area adjacent to the tail rotor anti-torque control pedals.

As the pilot brought the helicopter to a hover, he was unable to move the left pedal forward to overcome the torque from the increased power. With the pedals jammed the helicopter commenced to rotate to the right. The pilot attempted to fly forward in order to gain some airspeed for a run-on landing, but the helicopter continued to rotate rapidly to the right, completing three turns before impacting the ground. A thorough inspection of the helicopter failed to reveal any pre-impact faults or malfunctions which may have restricted the operation of the flight control system.

However, three separate items were found which could have jammed the tail rotor control pedals. These were: the detached GPS aerial, three rifle cartridge shells, and a plastic water bottle. Although all indications were that a foreign object had obstructed the tail rotor anti-torque control pedals, examination of these items did not reveal any tell-tale marks that would indicate they had been trapped between the pedals and the adjacent structure.

The pilot reported that the landing gear 'in-transit' light had remained on after the gear was selected up on departure from Palm Island. The gear was cycled twice, but the 'in-transit' light remained illuminated on each occasion. The pilot decided to return the landing gear to the down position and continue the flight to Townsville. After a normal approach and touchdown, the pilot noticed that the aircraft was settling low on the left side. The left landing gear then collapsed, and the aircraft skidded to a halt on the runway. Both the pilot and passenger exited the aircraft safely.

Examination of the aircraft found that the forward pivot shaft which locates and secures the left landing gear trunnion assembly to the airframe casting had come loose and moved out of position. The dislocation of this shaft allowed the left gear to collapse as the landing loads were applied. Investigation revealed that the safety fastener roll pin which holds the pivot shaft in place had broken, allowing the pivot to move out of place. The safety lock wire which passes through the roll pin was found to be still in place but had separated at the point where the roll pin broke. The Civil Aviation Authority is undertaking specialist metallurgical examination of the failed components.

The pilot originally planned to cruise at 10,000 feet. Approaching 10,000 feet on climb out of Orange, the pilot amended his cruising level to Flight Level (FL) 140. He misread the enroute chart prior to Wagga and penetrated controlled airspace at FL140. He realised his mistake at about eight miles south of Wagga and called Melbourne Control for a clearance. There was no breakdown in separation.

Significant Factor

The following factor was considered relevant to the development of the incident:

1. The pilot misread the enroute chart.