During the landing roll the aircraft began to swing to the right. The pilot attempted unsuccessfully to correct the swing by applying left brake and rudder. Because of the likelihood of striking a parked aircraft he then induced a ground loop to the right and the aircraft was brought to a stop. An inspection of the aircraft revealed that the right maingear had unlocked and the aircraft had settled on the right float. No fault could be found with the landing gear system. The gear collapse was consistent with there being insufficent hydraulic pressure available to hold the gear locks in position during the landing. The post accident inspection revealed that the hydraulic pump switch, which is located next to the electric fuel boost pump switch, was in the off position. It is likely that the hydraulic pump switch was inadvertently selected off after the previous take-off.

Circumstances:

The pilot had completed a satisfactory check with an instructor prior to commencing his second set of solo night circuits. The circuits were part of the pilot's initial night flying training. On the second landing, the pilot raised the nose too quickly and the sudden loss of speed and lift caused the aircraft to touch down heavily. The heavy touch down damaged the landing gear.

The pilot had not flown the aircraft type for 2 months. After a period in the training area he approached to land on the 17 strip. The wind was from the south-east at 5 to 10 knots. During the ground roll brake was applied, but the aircraft diverted to the right side of the strip. The pilot corrected for this, but the ensuing left turn tightened and the right maingear collapsed. The aircraft came to rest 480 metres into the strip. It was determined that the gear leg had failed from overload forces. An inspection of the cockpit revealed that the throttle was partly forward, suggesting this may have been a factor in the longer than normal landing run and the problem of directional control of the aircraft. This accident was not the subject of an on scene investigation.

The aircraft was being operated from a strip which had been cleared in a hay paddock. The pilot was aware that the strip was of marginal length and had therefore reduced the load to be carried. On take-off, the aircraft accelerated normally to about 40 knots but the performance then appeared to stagnate. The pilot attempted to dump the load, but only partial dumping was achieved before the right main gear struck a fence post as the aircraft became airborne. The impact displaced the gear, however the aircraft remained under control and the pilot diverted the aircraft to a more suitable aerodrome. The right main gear became completely dislodged during the landing. A subsequent inspection of the strip revealed that it had a soft sandy surface, covered with short and thick grass. Heavy rain had fallen in the area during the night and early morning, and the grass was very wet at the time of the take-off. When calculating the load he could safely carry from the strip, the pilot had not appreciated the degree to which the surface conditions would affect the take-off performance.

Circumstances:

At the completion of a local soaring flight the pilot misjudged the final approach path. The glider undershot the landing strip and touched down in rough ground. Moderate damage was sustained to the fuselage, wingtip, and horizontal stabiliser. Wind conditions were reported to be gusting to 15 knots at the time.

The pilot was engaged in spraying a crop of lupins. The aircraft was observed to fly from one paddock to another on the property. A short time later a tree in that paddock was observed to be on fire. The wreckage of the aircraft was later found in the paddock. The aircraft had struck the ground in an inverted attitude and was completely burnt out by the ensuing fire. No evidence of aircraft failure or pilot incapacitation was found. The reason for the loss of control leading to the accident could not be determined.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that the aircraft was taking off downhill from a one-way agricultural strip with a load of superphosphate. The strip consisted of 300 metres of gravel, followed by about 100 metres of pasture. A gully crossed beyond the strip end. The pilot reported that the wind in the loading area at the top of the strip was a very light quartering tailwind from the left. The aircraft became airborne at the end of the gravel strip, with the engine apparently delivering full power. Almost immediately the aircraft encountered sink, with the mainwheels touching momentarily on the pasture. At that stage, the pilot commenced dumping the load, but the aircraft failed to respond. Full dump was initiated. However, the aircraft stalled, dropping the right wing before striking the ground on the far side of the gully with the wing, which broke off. The aircraft then skidded through a fence in a semi-inverted attitude for about 70 metres before coming to rest upright. The pilot advised that the wind funnelling down the valley was gusting 12 to 15 knots from the left, considerably different to that in the loading area.

Circumstances:

The aircraft was being landed on an agricultural strip prior to commencing spreading operations. The pilot reported the landing was normal until the aircraft developed a swing to the left. Application of the right brake had no effect due to a very slippery, short wet grass surface. The aircraft collided with a fence at low speed, displacing the left landing gear, and damaging the left wing. The wind was a left, quartering tailwind at five knots.

After take-off the pilot noticed that the airspeed indicator was fluctuating between 40 and 60 knots irrespective of the aircraft's actual speed. He elected to land again but, with his attention directed towards the faulty airspeed indicator, he forgot to lower the landing gear prior to touchdown. Although no fault was subsequently found with the airspeed indicating system, it was probable that a partial blockage of the pitot tube had occurred. The pilot was relatively inexperienced on the aircraft type and had not previously flown this particular aircraft .

The particular spraying run crossed a group of trees at the top of a rise. As the pilot pulled up to overfly the trees the right wing of the aircraft struck some branches. The pilot noticed fluid escaping from the tears in the wing and elected to carry out an immediate landing on the downslope beyond the trees. Shortly after touchdown the aircraft yawed, the left wheel dug in and the aircraft rolled over twice before coming to rest inverted.