Circumstances:

It was reported that the engine lost power at a height of about 250 feet after take-off. The pilot attempted to turn back towards the DEPARTURE strip, but the aircraft stalled and struck the ground heavily before coming to rest against a fence.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he was repositioning the aircraft to a landing area which was in an open paddock. However, he misidentified the area and approached to land in an adjacent paddock. The main wheels struck a hump on the ground and the aircraft ground looped.

Circumstances:

The pilot had landed at the 800 metre long strip previously. The strip had an uphill slope to the west. When he arrived in the circuit area the pilot said the windsock indicated a 10 - 12 knot easterly and he noted another aircraft landing into the west. Taking into consideration the landing direction of the other aircraft and the uphill slope, the pilot decided to land into the west. The aircraft touched down about halfway along the strip. The pilot considered that the aircraft would not stop in the remaining distance, so he applied full power to go around. The aircraft just cleared a fence at the end of the strip but then descended and struck a second fence about 190 metres further on. It then veered left and eventually came to a stop some 400 metres beyond the end of the strip.

Circumstances:

The pilot was undergoing the second session of endorsement training on the type, operating on runway 31 in wind conditions of 270-300 degrees magnetic at 15 knots. On the second landing of the session the pilot misjudged the landing and the aircraft bounced, then touched down on the right main wheel, off the left side of the runway. The aircraft pivoted right as the instructor took over, closed the throttle, and brought it to a stop. After taxy in and shutdown it was discovered that the right main gear leg and the propeller tips were bent.

Just after lift-off for spraying operations the aircraft sank back to the ground and drifted to the left. The pilot dumped the load but the aircraft became entangled in a fence running along the left side of the strip. The pilot stated that at a height of about 20 feet the aircraft appeared to encounter a wind gust from the right rear quarter. The aircraft was heavily laden and the pilot had been unable to regain full control before the collision with the fence.

Circumstances:

Weather conditions were fine with a strong South-Easterly wind blowing, greater than 20 knots. The latter portion of the instructional flight consisted of practice auto rotational approaches and landings. The entry height for the manoeuvre was progressively reduced each time until the final entry at 100 feet above ground level and 60 knots indicated airspeed. The low rotor RPM warning horn sounded after entry into the descent. At about 30 feet altitude, both pilots became aware of a very high rate of descent. The instructor took control to ensure a level attitude at touchdown, but he was unable to avoid a heavy landing. The main rotor severed the tail boom and the helicopter rolled over onto its right side. Both pilots climbed out of the left doorway.

The student pilot was receiving instruction for an endorsement on the aircraft type. Following a touch and go landing, the instructor closed the throttle to simulate an engine failure. The subsequent landing was firm and the right wheel broke off. The aircraft ground looped through 180 degrees before coming to rest. Inspection of the gear leg revealed severe corrosion in the internal section of the leg. The right maingear leg failed on landing due to corrosion. This corrosion apparently had not been detected during the most recent periodic and major inspections, and there was no evidence that the bore of the maingear leg had been coated and sealed to prevent ingress of moisture.

Circumstances:

All the pilot's previous flying experience was in conventional aircraft. He had operated this aircraft only to the extent of conducting short "hops" along the strip. On this occasion however, he became airborne and flew for about 15 minutes before approaching to land. On late finals as the aircraft flared for landing, the engine power was heard to increase and then decrease. At the same time, the aircraft began to porpoise. The right wing and then the nose struck the ground before the aircraft nosed over.

The pilot entered the circuit intending to land on the sealed north/south runway but noticed that the windsock seemed to be indicated an easterly wind of about 20 knots. He therefore decided to land on strip 07. As the pilot flared the aircraft he saw a white cross on the strip but elected to continue with the landing. Near the end of the landing roll the landing gear struck an ant hill and was torn from the aircraft. The strip used by the pilot had been decommissioned in September 1987, and was marked with a series of white crosses. All threshold and strip markers had been removed. An amendment to Aerodrome Diagrams, effective 7 April 1988, removed the strip from the particular diagram. The pilot was familiar with the aerodrome but had not landed there for almost 18 months. He did not check the relevant Aerodrome Diagram before landing and had not incorporated the April 7 amendment into his publication. The pilot said that he did not see any of the white crosses on the strip until he was about to touch down. The strip was covered with long grass. This accident was not the subject of an on-site investigation.

The pilot was carrying out the first spraying run in the particular paddock. Towards the end of the run he was distracted when a large flock of birds suddenly flew up in front of the aircraft. The pilot descended in order to fly under the birds, but temporarily forgot that there was a power line in the vicinity. As he pulled up at the end of the run, the main gear snagged the wire. The wire cutters fitted to the gear did not sever the wire and the aircraft subsequently struck the ground 82 metres beyond the run of the power line.