The pilot intended to spray several crops in the same general area and noted that the first crop had power line obstructions. The spraying of this crop was completed except for clean-up runs and the pilot returned to carry out these runs after treating the other crops. On the first run the pilot passed abeam a power pole and thought he had flown under both power lines. However, as he began to pull up at the end of the crop the pilot saw a power line ahead and was unable to prevent the aircraft colliding with it. The aircraft remained controllable and the pilot made a normal landing at the destination strip.

The pilot was spraying a small paddock, to the south east of which the ground rose steeply. All spraying runs were being conducted towards the south east, with the pilot carrying out left hand orbits at the end of each run in order to reposition the aircraft. However, manoeuvring in this manner was taking the aircraft close to houses in a noise sensitive area. The pilot therefore decided to carry out a procedure turn and conduct a run into the north west. About half way around this turn the aircraft lost performance, probably as the result of a downdraft, and then stalled at about 100 feet above the ground. There was insufficient height available for the pilot to effect recovery and the aircraft struck the ground in about a 30 degree nosedown attitude. The pilot subsequently advised that he was aware that downdrafts were likely to be present in the prevailing conditions. However, he had been concerned to avoid the noise sensitive area, and had not considered the possibility of downdrafts as he manoeuvred over rising terrain. When he was attempting to recover from the stall situation, the pilot had not dumped his load because there were valuable animals in the paddock below the aircraft.

About 5 minutes after take-off for a sight-seeing flight, the latches on the cabin door released and the door partially opened. The pilot was distracted by the resulting airflow noise and was concerned that the door may have opened further. An immediate return was made to the departure point, but the pilot then forgot to lower the landing gear before touchdown. The subsequent investigation revealed that the top door latch had probably not been correctly secured before departure. The pilot had not checked the security of the door, but had asked his passenger to make sure the door was closed. The main latch was found to be out of adjustment, such that a firm push could cause the door to spring open. The pilot had not previously experienced a door open in flight situation. He had been unduly anxious to land, and had not completed the pre-landing checks. The noise of the airflow past the door had masked the sound of the gear warning horn. The aircraft is equipped with an automatic gear lowering system, however the handle for this system was in the manual over-ride position.

The pilot advised that during the landing run, he inadvertently selected the landing gear up instead of the flaps. The nose and right gears retracted and the aircraft slid to a halt on the edge of the runway. The landing was the last in the pilot's duty period and he subsequently advised that he had relaxed after achieving a good touchdown in crosswind conditions. For the previous two weeks he had been operating another aircraft type in which the gear and flap selectors were in the opposite locations to those in this aircraft.

When the aircraft had reached a height of about 300 feet agl the winch motor lost power. The pilot released the launch cable and attempted to land straight ahead but the aircraft overshot the end of the landing area and collided with trees. It was considered that at the time of the winch failure, sufficient strip length remained to permit the aircraft to land safely. However, the pilot had not deployed the dive brakes early enough to prevent the overshoot. The reason for the loss of power from the winch motor was not established, and subsequent operations were reported to be normal. This accident was not the subject of an on-scene investigation.

Circumstances:

At the completion of a local flight the pilot selected the landing gear down but there was no subsequent indication that it was down and locked. He cycled the landing gear and actuated the emergency lowering system. The aircraft was directed to remain clear of the circuit for some time before it was cleared to return and fly past the tower five times to allow a visual inspection of the landing gear. After the last fly past, as the aircraft was climbing to the left the engine began to surge. The pilot continued the turn, intending to land on runway 14, and attempted to restore power. However, the engine did not respond, and the aircraft landed heavily in a field 400 metres short of the runway. Inspection of the aircraft after the accident indicated that the landing gear had been down and locked at the time of impact. As the landing gear had been dislodged in the accident, it was not possible to ascertain the cause of the malfunction. It was established that the pilot had flown with the left fuel tank selected until the engine began to surge. Examination of the aircraft showed that the left tank was empty, and the right tank contained approximately 85 litres of fuel. The pilot had evidently become preoccupied with the landing gear problem. He also had to contend with an increase in radio traffic as the airport controllers passed advice to him and prepared the airport for a possible landing with a gear malfunction, all on the one frequency. The pilot's preoccupation caused him to lose awareness of time, and he did not return to his check sequence and change the fuel tank selection before the left tank ran dry. Testing of the fuel system after the accident showed that it was unlikely that, with the limited time available to him, the pilot could switch tanks and get the engine re-started before he was faced with a forced landing. FACTORS 1. The pilot became preoccupied with a landing gear indication malfunction, and lost awareness of time. 2. Fuel starvation when the selected tank ran dry. 3. The engine ceased to deliver power at a height that was probably too low to permit the engine to be restarted. 4. The pilot was forced to land on unsuitable terrain.

As part of the final phase of the rating test, the pilot was required to spray a paddock. An inspection of the area to be treated was carried out. During the procedure turn at the end of the second spray run, the nose dropped and the aircraft struck the ground in a near vertical attitude. The pilot had incorrectly assessed the wind direction and had carried out the procedure turns at the end of the spray runs in the wrong direction. In an effort to align the aircraft for the next run, the pilot tightened the turn and the aircraft stalled.

The pilot intended carrying out a one-day return flight to Luskintyre. However, when in the Luskintyre area he misidentified the Elderslie strip for that of his planned destination and entered the circuit for a landing. It was reported that the later part of the approach was flat and the pilot stated that when the aircraft was about 10 feet above the strip it suddenly dropped. Full power and back stick were applied but the aircraft landed heavily and bounced. The pilot decided to go-around and during the attempt the aircraft struck a runway light and a fence before the throttle was closed. It is probable that the pilot allowed the airspeed to get too low in the later part of the approach and that the aircraft stalled.

The aircraft had made a number of flights spreading superphosphate in hilly country, partially covered by trees. After being loaded with a similar amount of material as previously carried, the aircraft took off and began a gradual climbing turn, downwind, towards the area to be treated. The pilot said the aircraft entered an area of sink and began to lose height. He increased power but failed to notice a large tree ahead of the aircraft until he had almost reached it. The pilot had insufficient distance to manouevre around the tree and elected to clear it by climbing. The aircraft struck the uppermost branches of the tree, at a low forward speed, before descending steeply and impacting heavily in a paddock. The aircraft skidded a short distance and caught fire. The pilot, who had been wearing a full safety harness, was able to escape through a side window.

Circumstances:

The aircraft was being demonstrated for a potential sale. The pilot reported that he was demonstrating a high-speed taxi towards a boat ramp when the aircraft struck a submerged object and cartwheeled sideways. However, the passenger reported that the pilot was demonstrating a touch-and-go. As the pilot applied power for the take-off, the aircraft commenced porpoising. On the third porpoise, the nose pulled into the water and the aircraft water looped to the right, tearing off the left float. The passenger had held a foreign commercial pilot licence but was not type endorsed or experienced in water landings.