The pilot approached the helipad flying into a 15 knot wind. He overflew the pad and turned left through 180 degrees and overflew the pad again. The helicopter was then slowed to about zero knots IAS and placed in a tight left turn with the intention of approaching the helipad for a landing into wind. After the turn onto downwind was completed translational lift was lost when the pilot reduced airspeed to close to zero knots. The tight left turn was then initiated. The combination of the loss of translational lift and the turn probably required more power from the helicopter than it was capable of delivering. The rotor R.P.M. decayed significantly as the helicopter was overpitched and a high sink rate developed. A passenger, who was a more experienced pilot, took control and attempted to recover rotor RPM but he was unsuccessful. The helicopter impacted heavily with the ground and a pile of gravel and rolled onto its right side.

The pilot was undertaking his second flight for the day. His intention was to locate some stock on a property and on sighting a flock of sheep he descended to a very low height. While manoeuvring at this height the rotor rpm and airspeed decayed, and the pilot found that the aircraft had insufficient performance to clear a fence. The aircraft struck the fence and cartwheeled. The pilot and the seat/fuel tank were thrown clear of the wreckage, but the pilot sustained severe head injuries when he was struck by a rotor blade, despite the fact he was wearing a crash helmet. The aircraft was not fitted with a tachometer to indicate main rotor rpm, and the pilot had to rely on rotor noise to judge the speed.

Circumstances:

The aircraft was engaged in spreading superphosphate from a strip on the property being treated. The pilot said that during the take-off the aircraft became airborne prematurely due to surface undulations. In order to keep the aircraft flying he attempted to lower a little more flap, but inadvertently selected "flaps up", resulting in the aircraft settling onto the strip. Although the pilot realised his error and reselected take-off flap, he was too late to prevent the tail of the aircraft from striking the boundary fence. He could see the left tailplane was damaged and determined the left elevator was missing by observing the ground shadow of the aircraft. The aircraft was able to be flown for a safe landing.

The pilot had been engaged in glider towing operations for about four months, and had completed 108 towing flights. During the afternoon the pilot had carried out two aerotow flights without incident. On the accident flight a normal take-off and transit to the north side of Korumburra township was made. The glider was released at a height of 2000 feet above ground level and the tug aircraft then turned and tracked towards a right base leg position for the south west landing strip at Leongatha. Not all of this flight was observed, but two witnesses noticed the aircraft descending in a spin to the right. It appeared to recover briefly, with the nose being raised above the level flight attitude, however a spin to the left then commenced. This spin continued until the aircraft disappeared from sight, but the wreckage distribution and impact marks indicated that the pilot had been able to stop the rotation in the last moments of the flight. It was evident that insufficient height remained to effect a full recovery. A detailed inspection of the wreckage did not disclose any defect or malfunction with the aircraft, its engine or systems that might have contributed to the development of the accident. It was considered unlikely that the pilot had deliberately entered a spin on his return to the airfield. The aircraft type is not approved for spinning, and the spin characteristics of this particular two seat conversion are unknown. There was no evidence available to determine how or why the spin situation developed. It was apparent that the pilot had succeeded in partially recovering from the initial spin, however the recovery technique being employed did not prevent a spin in the opposite direction.

Following a local flight the pilot positioned the glider to join the circuit for a landing on the grass strip 24. The wind velocity was reported as 240 to 280 degrees at 10-15 knots with occasional gusts to 18 knots. After lining up on final approach, the pilot inadvertently raised the landing gear instead of extending the air brakes. As the approach continued it became apparent the glider would overshoot the runway. The glider was banked to the right to remain within the confines of the aerodrome. The right wing tip struck the ground and the glider ground looped.

Circumstances:

The pilot, in company with another aircraft, had been carrying out aerial top dressing operations from an airstrip located along the top of a ridge line. The conditions were calm, and the pilot, who had limited aerial agricultural experience, was relaxed and enjoying the flying. Returning to the airstrip at the completion of a sortie, the pilot made a glide approach and crossed the threshold just as the other aircraft was departing with a full load. Just before touch down, the aircraft encountered turbulence and dropped the left wing, then veered sharply to the left over the side of the ridge. The pilot attempted to regain the strip without increasing power.

However, the aircraft failed to respond and touched down on the sloping terrain at the side of the strip. During the landing roll he attempted to steer the aircraft up the slope, but it collided with a stack of timber which caused the right-hand main landing gear leg to separate. The pilot subsequently advised that he had been complacent and had not given sufficient attention to the landing. He had then encountered wake turbulence, generated from behind the departing aircraft, which had not had time to dissipate in the calm conditions. It had not occurred to him to apply full power and go-around.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he had planned to fly a triangular course from Cunderdin to Cunderdin. After spending over 3.5 hours, in difficult weather conditions, to get to his first turning point the pilot elected to return direct to Cunderdin. When he arrived back at Cunderdin, the pilot spent 45 minutes in the local area before returning to land. The pilot decided to land well into the shorter of the two runways, to reduce the effort required to move the glider into a hangar however, he had forgotten that the wheel brake was not working. The aircraft touched down over halfway down the 1200 metre runway. With 300 metres to run, the pilot became concerned at the slow rate of deceleration, and it was at this point he remembered the unserviceable wheel brake. Although he believed it would not be necessary the pilot decided he would intentionally ground loop the aircraft when there was 50 metres to run if it was not slowing adequately. The aircraft's speed was still close to 20 knots, when there was 50 metres to run, and the pilot was forced to attempt a ground loop. The ground loop attempt only succeeded in altering the direction of travel and the aircraft stopped after crossing a ditch and hitting a fence. The pilot advised that he did not think to use the airbrake to slow the aircraft once it was on the runway.

The pilot and passengers were overseas visitors taking part in an aerial safari. The flight apparently proceeded normally until a series of garbled radio transmissions were recorded from the aircraft, which then failed to reply to further calls. Despite an intensive search, the wreckage of the aircraft was not found for 2 months. It was evident that the aircraft had collided with trees at high speed while in a steep descending attitude. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact fault that could have contributed to the accident. A post analysis of the prevailing weather conditions indicated that areas of rain showers and low cloud existed over the higher terrain in the region. It is probable that the pilot lost control of the aircraft after inadvertently entering cloud.

The aircraft was taxied in the early dawn light with an overcast sky and drizzle. The aerodrome pilot-activated lights were not on nor were the aircraft landing and taxi lights. The aircraft was inadvertently taxied off the taxiway. During attempts to return to the taxiway the nose-wheel of the aircraft entered soft ground and was broken off.

Circumstances:

During the flight the engine surged without warning and the pilot elected to land in a cleared area, to investigate the engine problem. The engine failed completely during the latter stage of the approach resulting in a heavy landing short of the cleared area. Subsequent investigation by the pilot revealed that the auxiliary fuel tank was completely empty. The main fuel gauge indicated that the main fuel tank was full of fuel. The two fuel tanks cannot be selected individually and fuel from both is supplied simultaneously. On this occasion it appears that only fuel from the auxiliary fuel tank reached the carburettor. The duration of the flight is consistent with this assumption. Examination by the company maintenance organisation revealed that a plastic hose in the main fuel tank vent line was pinched, possibly during the accident. Maintenance had been carried out before the previous flight, which had lasted 40 minutes. However, the work entailed the removal of the auxiliary fuel tank during which the main fuel vent line was not moved. No other fault was found.