The pilot of a Cessna 310 aircraft reported to Flight Service, after departing from Nyngan, that the right main landing gear appeared to have failed and he was diverting to Dubbo. He requested that emergency services be available for his arrival. An Alert phase was declared, and emergency services were placed on standby. The aircraft subsequently landed at Dubbo, but the right main landing gear collapsed during the landing roll.

The pilot later reported that he heard a loud bang from the right side as the landing gear was retracting, but the retraction cycle ended with normal cockpit indications. Later, during cruise, the airspeed was observed to be about 15 kts lower than normal. At Dubbo, as the landing gear was extended, the right main gear light failed to illuminate, and the gear unsafe light remained on. A low pass was flown and ground observers reported that the landing gear appeared to be down. The initial touchdown was made on the left main wheel, but as the aircraft settled onto the right main wheel the right main landing gear leg collapsed.

A subsequent inspection revealed that the right main landing gear strut had failed from fatigue cracking. The aircraft is heavily utilised in bank run activities, resulting in a high number of landing gear cycles.

The pilot of the Cessna 182RG was conducting flying training under supervision. Whilst carrying out a glide approach the airspeed decayed below that required to execute a normal landing. A missed approach was initiated, however, the aircraft contacted the runway heavily before becoming airborne. It was subsequently found that the rudder trim was jammed, and a PAN call was broadcast.

The aircraft was subsequently landed safely. The maintenance investigation revealed substantial damage to the landing gear and associated structure, as a result of the heavy initial impact on the runway. The reason for the jammed rudder trim has not yet been determined, however, it is considered to be as a result of the heavy landing.

The pilot of a Gippsland Aeronautics GA 200 agricultural aircraft was conducting topdressing of paddocks and was operating from a nearby forestry airstrip. The pilot had completed the first load with a reduced hopper capacity to assess the aircraft's performance. He determined that sufficient margin existed to increase the next load, and an additional 150 - 200 kg of superphosphate was added to the hopper for the second flight.

The pilot reports that the initial take-off roll appeared satisfactory, with the aircraft accelerating normally. However, shortly after lift-off, the engine coughed momentarily and the aircraft began to lose climb performance. The engine quickly recovered, but not before the climb gradient had been substantially reduced. The pilot had commenced dumping the load but was unable to clear the pine trees upwind of the agricultural strip.

The aircraft entered the trees wings level in the climbing attitude. The aircraft came to rest in an inverted attitude and was substantially damaged during the impact sequence. The cockpit structure survived the impact and the pilot was able to vacate the aircraft without assistance. Subsequent investigation by the aircraft operator did not establish a reason for the reported engine malfunction.

During the landing roll, the nose-wheel steering failed and braking efficiency reduced. After shutdown, the pilot observed hydraulic fluid coming from the front relief vent associated with the brake anti-skid system. A permit to fly was obtained from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the aircraft was ferried to Perth with the landing gear down and locked. After landing, the aircraft was towed to the operator's facilities due to inadequate steering and braking capability. Maintenance investigation by the operator traced the problem to internal leakage of hydraulic pressure through the anti-skid control valve to the low-pressure side of the brake system and then overboard. The problem was inherent with the anti-kid-equipped aircraft and the operator was pursuing suitable rectification action with the manufacturer.

Interim remedial action has been the introduction of a standard operating procedure to depressurise the hydraulic system after engine shutdown when parking the aircraft. Since the introduction of this procedure, there have been no further incidents.

Safety Action Statement

As a result of this occurrence, the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation is currently analysing a possible safety deficiency. The deficiency identified involves aircraft fitted with anti-skid braking systems. This static internal leakage may result in the loss of hydraulic system contents and subsequent loss of all hydraulic services.

Any recommendation issued as a result of this analysis will be published in the Bureau's Quarterly Safety Deficiency Report.

The pilot advised Sydney Flight Service, that on departure from Parkes, his aircraft had experienced a hydraulic failure, which resulted in landing gear retraction problems. The pilot then requested a diversion to Sydney instead of his intended destination of Bathurst, advising that the landing gear would be lowered using the alternate system. The aircraft subsequently made a normal approach into Sydney for an uneventful landing.

Investigation by company maintenance personnel could not fault the landing gear system, and put the problem down to air in the system. This aircraft was fitted with antiskid which is known to cause problems with hydraulic fluid loss. The operator was informed of other operator experience in this regard.

Safety Action Statement

As a result of this occurrence, the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation is currently analysing a possible safety deficiency. The deficiency identified involves aircraft fitted with antiskid braking systems. This braking option suffers from static internal leakage, which may result in the loss of hydraulic system contents and subsequent loss of all hydraulic services.

Any recommendation issued as a result of this analysis will be published in the Bureau's Quarterly Safety Deficiency Report.

The pilot reported that the engine stopped in the cruise at about 600 ft. He entered autorotation and landed in low trees and scrub. The engine stopped because the crank shaft drive gear bolt failed due to hydrogen embrittlement. When the bolt failed drive to the accessories was lost. The manufacturer has verbally assured CASA that this was an isolated instance of a bolt failure.

The pilot reported difficulty in maintaining directional control of the aircraft during the later stages of the landing roll. The pilot indicated that the left main gear collapsed, the left wing contacted the ground, and the nose wheel collapsed. The aircraft slid a short distance before coming to a stop. The pilot and his passenger were uninjured.

Following the accident, the pilot observed that the right-hand main tyre was partially deflated. Although the tyre was normally inflated prior to departure, it was unclear if this contributed to the pilot's difficulty in maintaining control of the aircraft during the landing roll.

On descent through 8,000 feet, the engine of VH-DBX started running rough. The pilot carried out the emergency check list procedures and found no response to throttle so he shut the engine down. Melbourne Flight Service (FS) was then informed by the pilot of his intention to land short of Goulburn. Another aircraft in the vicinity, VH-RPO, was diverted by FS to render assistance. The pilot of DBX did not declare an emergency, however FS initiate a Distress Phase. On short final to the selected landing site at approximately 20 feet AGL, the aircraft contacted a power line, rolled to the left and impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. The aircraft was then vacated with nil injuries. The pilot of RPO informed FS that an ambulance was in attendance and the Distress Phase was cancelled.

A report has been requested for the engine strip and inspection.

The pilot of the Hiller 12E helicopter had been tasked with spraying insecticide on a paddock of soybean plants. The pilot familiarised himself with the property layout and obstacles before starting treatment of the area. The paddock to be sprayed was crossed at its mid-point by powerlines running east-west. The southern boundary of the paddock was marked by a wire fence, a road and another set of powerlines.

The pilot reported commencing a spray run along the northern boundary but found that his GPS navigation system was not working. He landed on the western side of the paddock to re-enter data into the GPS system. On carrying out another run, the pilot found the system was still not operating, so he moved the helicopter away from the paddock to the south. He then elected to return to the paddock by flying over the powerlines. The pilot reported that at this time, he was mentally occupied with the problem with the GPS and forgot about the powerlines at the southern edge of the paddock. The helicopter spray gear contacted the powerlines, causing the helicopter to pitch nose down and contact the ground. The helicopter came to rest inverted, and the pilot climbed out of the wreckage, receiving only minor injuries. The helicopter did not catch fire.

A significant factor in this accident was the preoccupation of the pilot with the GPS navigation equipment at a time when he was flying close to obstacles.

The pilot was preparing to depart on a private flight from Cobden Vic. to Moorabbin. The Piper Cherokee aircraft was parked in front of the club house when the pilot found that the starter motor would not engage. After various attempts to get the starter motor to engage were unsuccessful the pilot decided to hand swing the propeller.

The pilot advised that he applied the parking brake, set the throttle to approximately half power and turned the magneto switches on. When he swung the propeller the engine started and ran at high RPM. The parking brakes did not stop the aircraft from rolling forward. The pilot grabbed the wing to try to arrest the aircraft's progress, however it continued to gather speed. When the pilot could no longer hang onto the wing he grabbed the tail plane. The pilot was carried 300 metres before he relinquished his grip and the aircraft sped away.

The aircraft continued south past the windsock and broke through the perimeter fence into a paddock. It ran across the paddock and through another fence and across the airfield access road. On the far side of the road, it demolished a gate before colliding with a shed and toilet, coming to rest against a farm plough. The aircraft had travelled in excess of 1 1/2 km.

The low time pilot had not been trained in hand starting aircraft engines. He said that he was not aware of the regulatory requirements surrounding the starting of aircraft engines, and did not ask a nearby pilot to sit on the brakes while he attempted the hand start. He stated was not aware that the operator from whom he rented the aircraft specifically banned unauthorised attempts to rectify defects when away from Moorabbin, including the hand starting of aircraft engines.