The pilot was operating from a strip on top of a ridge line. Because of the slope of the strip, landings were being made with a quartering tailwind of about 10 to 15 knots. At the end of a landing roll, the pilot commenced to turn around prior to reloading, when the wind gusted to about 25 knots. The pilot applied more power in order to assist the turn, but the nosewheel bounced into the air. The aircraft weathercocked and ran off the side of the strip. It then ran down the slope of the ridge line until the nosewheel entered a large hole and the aircraft overturned. The pilot attempted to turn the aircraft around for reloading while traversing an area of rough ground adjacent to a steep slope at the side of the strip. All previous turns to position for reloading had been conducted on a flat area on the opposite side of the strip. However, the pilot decided to reverse the direction of turn to assist the loader driver who was experiencing difficulty in positioning the loader close to the aircraft.

The task of spraying a cotton crop was nearing completion. The time for a scheduled radio call was approaching, and on checking his watch the pilot found a need to alter its setting. He also checked the amount of spray liquid remaining in the hopper. As a result of these distractions, he momentarily relaxed his vigilance in regard to a powerline obstruction located at the end of the spray run. As he approached the powerline he took action to gain altitude, but the main landing gear struck the wires causing the aircraft to land heavily in an adjacent paddock.

Shortly after take-off the pilot noticed a 10 to 15 centimetre gap between the forward ends of the upper and lower cowlings on the left engine. He elected to continue the flight at reduced airspeed and engine power. About 15 kilometres from the destination the upper cowling became detached and struck the horizontal stabiliser. It remained wrapped around the stabiliser and resulted in severe vibration and a temporary loss of elevator control. The pilot was able to regain control, and during the turn onto a long final approach elevator control returned to normal when the engine cowling fell free. The cowling did not become detached until well after DEPARTURE. It was likely that an uneventful landing could have been carried out had the pilot returned to the DEPARTURE aerodrome as soon as he noticed the problem. The detached cowling was not found and the reason for the failure of the latches to hold it in place was not determined. However, the surface of the DEPARTURE strip was reported as rough and the aircraft had flown about 12 hours since the cowlings were last disturbed.

After an apparently normal approach the Captain and First Officer reported a firmer landing than expected. Towards the latter part of the landing roll the crew noticed that the aircraft had a slight list to the left. While the aircraft was being turned off the runway the "left wing door open" warning light illuminated. This was followed by an indication of a reduction in the hydraulic fluid quantity in the number 4 system. The appropriate check list was completed and the aircraft was taxied to the terminal. As the aircraft approached its designated parking position the engineering ground crew noticed that a section of the left wing landing gear was protruding through the upper surface of the wing. The aircraft was immediately shut down and all the occupants disembarked. Inspection of the aircraft found that the rear section of the landing gear trunnion in the left wing had failed. A metallurgical examination of the trunnion determined that the fracture was caused by the growth of a stress corrosion crack, which was followed by the growth of an unstable ductile crack. The aircraft manufacturer issued a service bulletin, several years previously, to cover the possibility of cracking in the trunnion caused by corrosion. The work required by the service bulletin had only been partially completed on this aircraft at the time of the accident.

The pilot was a Chinese citizen who was being trained, as part of an Australian Development Aid program, to a standard equivalent to that required for an Agricultural rating. His Chinese Commercial Licence was suitably endorsed to allow training in this country. The flight in question was authorised as a practice spraying exercise and was to be the pilot's last solo sequence before a flight test. At the end of the first practice spraying run the entry into the procedure turn was delayed, and the turn was then conducted at less than the normal angle of bank. This placed the aircraft in a wide and low turn, during which it collided with a tree. This collision occurred at about 50 feet above ground level, and the aircraft struck the ground 35 metres beyond the tree. The pilot subsequently reported that the aircraft had been affected by a downdraft. However, other pilots and ground witnesses in the area indicated that excessive sink or downdrafts were unlikely to have occurred. The tree struck was prominent and contrasted well with the surrounding vegetation. It was likely that the pilot was looking back to check his flight path in relation to the spraying runs and had not seen the tree prior to the collision.

The pilot, who is an approved AUF instructor, was conducting a solo test flight, following complaints by a student that directional control was more difficult than normal. During the takeoff run a rudder lever arm collapsed, directional control was lost, and the aircraft collided with a fence. It was likely that the directional control problems originally reported were related to the rudder lever arm being bent. The reason for the bending was not established, but the lever had evidently been weakened to the point where it failed during the attempted takeoff.

The pilot reported that he had been flying over his farm for about 30 minutes inspecting his crops and livestock. When crossing a road, whilst proceeding to another section of the farm at a altitude of about 30 feet, he remembered the location of a powerline, which was then only 50 metres ahead. He banked the aircraft left to avoid the line, but the left wing hit the top of a tree. Control was lost and the aircraft impacted the ground, coming to rest inverted. The pilot stated that during the flight he had been preoccupied thinking about the several tasks he hoped to complete that day. Consequently he was not giving his full attention to the operation of the aircraft. During the impact sequence the insert plug in the fuel tank became dislodged. This allowed fuel to spill from the tank and drench the pilot.

The pilot was conducting her second solo flight. She reported that following a normal approach, the aicraft touched down and bounced. She was unable to correct the situation and a further two bounces occurred before the aircraft could be brought to rest. An inspection revealed damage to the nosegear assembly and the engine mounts.

During the course of the day's activities, the pilot had landed at the strip on 24 occasions. The surface was wet and landings had been made with a quartering tailwind. On each occasion the pilot had stopped the aircraft about 100 metres short of a cattle yard at the end of the strip. The pilot was making his first approach after changing operations to another paddock. The aircraft touched down about 100 metres beyond the previous touchdown area. However, the pilot continued with the landing and despite heavy braking he was unable to prevent the aircraft colliding with the fence of the cattle yard. It was reported that while the aircraft was on approach the wind strength increased to about 15 knots.

The pilot was stock-spotting with both side windows of the aircraft open. He noticed smoke trailing from the aircraft, and saw that some towelling material and a chamois were smouldering under the rear seat. He closed the windows to reduce the flow of air to these articles and proceeded to select a suitable landing area. In the meantime, smoke in the cabin forced him to open a side window again, resulting in the smouldering material bursting into flame. He attempted to douse the flames with water from his water bottle with little success. During the landing on a flat-topped hill, he had to keep his head out the window for visibility. The aircraft bounced several times and overturned. The pilot was knocked unconscious for a period of about five minutes. When he regained consciousness he released his harness and extinguished the remnants of the fire with the aircraft's extinguisher. He believes the loose extinguisher struck him on the head during the overturn sequence. This accident was not the subject of an on-site investigation.