An inter-club fly-in had been organised at the private airstrip. The club secretary who had organised the meeting had expressed an interest in aerobatics, and arranged to accompany the pilot on a demonstration flight. A series of aerobatic manoeuvres, judged by the witnesses to be of a relatively poor standard, were completed between about 1500 and 3000 feet above ground level. The aircraft was then observed to overfly the aerodrome at about 300 feet agl and enter what appeared to be a roll. When the aircraft reached the inverted attitude, its nose was well below the horizon and the roll was not continued. The nose then lowered further as a "pull-through" manoeuvre was apparently attempted, however the aircraft impacted the ground at high speed before level flight could be regained. Subsequent investigation indicated that the aircraft and its control systems had been serviceable prior to impact with the ground. The pilot was neither approved nor sufficiently experienced to perform aerobatics at a low level and it is probable that on this occasion his actions were influenced by the presence of the group assembled on the ground.

The pilot reported that, during approach to the 765 metre wet grass strip, the wind appeared to change to a tailwind. The mainwheels struck a concrete sea wall which marks the threshold, both tyres burst and the landing gear legs were damaged. Directional control problems were experienced during the landing and a go-around was carried out, with the aircraft becoming airborne just before the far end of the strip. The pilot was not aware that any damage had occurred until the gear would not retract. A diversion to an alternate aerodrome was conducted and the left main gear leg collapsed on landing. The strip at the original destination was too short for normal operation of the heavily laden aircraft. Because of this, and the wet surface, the pilot had approached at a lower than recommended airspeed, aiming to land close to the threshold. He had been unable to arrest the sink rate which developed in the final stages of the approach.

Whilst on cruise at 1000 feet agl, the helicopter experienced a sudden loss of power. The pilot carried out an autorotative landing on river mud flats. During the landing the tail rotor struck the water. The transmission of the helicopter failed after the disintegration of the planetary gears which was caused by fatigue cracking. Fatigue cracks were found in several sections of the remaining gear fragments and it was not possible to determine the exact origin of the final failure.

Circumstances:

The pilot was flying at 1500 feet above ground level with the fuel selector set for the right fuel tank when the engine stopped. The right fuel gauge was reading near empty, but the reading was fluctuating due to gusty inflight weather conditions. The left tank had already been run dry in an effort to achieve maximum endurance. Based on past fuel burn off rates and elapse time since the last refuel, the pilot believed that his 45-minute fixed reserve was still available despite the low fuel gauge reading. When the engine stopped the pilot selected the boost pump on. The engine restarted for a few seconds before stopping again. He turned the aircraft to the most suitable paddocks where he became committed to a downwind forced landing. During the landing roll the right flap was damaged by a steel fence post. After the landing, the pilot saw fuel stains on the left wing near the fuel cap. Fuel had vented overboard in flight past a faulty fuel cap seal.

Circumstances:

The pilot had continued gliding at altitude despite deteriorating weather conditions. When he returned to the circuit, he found that a strong wind was blowing. During the approach to land the pilot found that he had to hold a heading up to 45 degrees off runway heading to counter the right crosswind. After flaring to land the glider drifted and weather-cocked. It came to rest after passing through a barbed wire fence.

The pilot had completed an endorsement on the aircraft type two days previously, and intended to carry out a series of circuits with touch and go landings to consolidate his training. During the landing roll following the first touchdown, the pilot inadvertently retracted the landing gear when he attempted to raise the flaps. The aircraft slid to a halt on the runway. The instructor who had carried out the endorsement training was not aware that it was company policy to prohibit the conduct of touch and go landings for solo operations in retractable gear aircraft. He had therefore not briefed the pilot on this matter. The pilot stated that during his circuit training in the aircraft, which consisted of a series of touch and go landings, the instructor had raised the flaps after each touchdown. The pilot had only limited exposure to retractable landing gear aircraft types with the gear and flap controls laid out in a similar fashion to this particular aircraft.

At the conclusion of the dual training segment of the flight the instructor decided to demonstrate a forced landing sequence. Descent was continued to a very low height, and during the go-around the aircraft struck a fence at the approach end of the selected paddock. Control was maintained and a safe landing was subsequently carried out at the destination aerodrome.

Circumstances:

The aircraft was making a crosswind landing on runway 22. The pilot reported that as the aircraft was touching down on the main wheels it was struck by a strong gust, blowing it from the centreline. Because grassed areas were available, the pilot did not attempt to regain the centreline. The aircraft continued to diverge from the runway until it struck a ditch.

The pilot reported that during the initial run over a treatment area, the aircraft struck a power line. The wire deflector folded on impact, allowing the wire to slip between the fin and rudder. The mass balance and the top of the rudder were torn off, but the pilot was able to maintain control and carry out a safe landing.

The pilot reported that a single power line was strung diagonally across the treatment area. A number of runs had been conducted under the wire. At about the mid-span of the wire between the supporting poles, the aircraft struck the wire. The wire deflector failed, allowing the wire to slip between the fin and rudder. The mass balance and the top of the rudder were severed, but the pilot maintained control and subsequently landed without further incident.