The pilot deposited the sling load of delicate instruments on the ground. To avoid dropping the shackle on the load, and because of the proximity of a hangar to the left, he moved the helicopter to the right. The movement, together with type of shackle used and the design of the hook, resulted in the load not being released. Prior to the flight the pilot had not insisted on the fitment of external load observation mirrors. While leaning out of the helicopter to check that the load had been released, he inadvertently caused the helicopter to move further to the right. The resulting tension on the cable connecting the hook and the load induced dynamic rollover. The pilot attempted unsuccessfully to correct the roll and during the subsequent landing the main rotor struck the ground. Use was not made of an available and qualified marshaller.

As the pilot was applying power at the commencement of the take-off run, the right engine lost power. An explosion was then heard from the vicinity of the right engine. The pilot secured the engine and after stopping the aircraft, evacuated the passengers before leaving the aircraft himself. He then noticed a small fire under the right wing which he quelled with a fire extinguisher obtained from the aircraft. Investigation revealed a loose fuel line union in the right wing just outboard of the engine. This allowed fuel to leak into the wing where it pooled and the vapour was ignited by the hot exhaust gases. No record was found of any maintenance being carried out on the fuel line in question.

At the conclusion of an aerobatic display the pilot performed an inverted circuit, rolling upright as the strip was sighted on final. On short final the aircraft descended below the desired flight path and the pilot applied power. The aircraft responded but the right gear leg caught on a power line 5 metres agl and 330 metres from the threshold. The aircraft struck the ground in a steep nose down attitude and came to rest inverted. The inverted circuit had been conducted at between 50 and 100 feet above the tops of the trees.

The pilot was undertaking his third flight for the day, during which he completed a number of circuits and landings. Following a touch and go landing, the aircraft had reached a height of about 300 feet when it was seen to commence a turn back towards the strip. During the turn the nose dropped and the aircraft subsequently struck the ground in a steep nose-down attitude. Investigation revealed that there was virtually no fuel remaining in the tanks, and the that engine was not under power at the time of the accident. The pilot had refuelled the aircraft the day before the accident and he made a note of the fact that the main fuel tank was full and that the auxiliary tank was empty. He then flew the aircraft for 30 minutes. On the day of the accident the pilot flew a further three separate trips, including the accident flight, without refuelling. The total flight time for the four trips was estimated as 137 minutes and the calculated endurance, with the main tank full and the auxiliary empty, was 138 minutes. The pilot had constructed a number of emergency landing areas on his property for use in the event of an engine failure. One of these areas lay directly ahead of the aircraft on the centreline of the airstrip, however, the pilot did not attempt to use it.

The helicopter was engaged in the mustering of feral pigs for a cull. After descending the helicopter to follow the pigs into a cleared area, the pilot noticed that more power was required to fly the aircraft. The aircraft was immediately returned to base and landed, where an inspection revealed damage to the leading edge of both rotor blades. The damage was consistent with the blades striking small branches of trees. The pilot reported that neither he nor his passenger had been aware of the helicopter striking any objects.

The aircraft had not been flown and had stood in the open for about two months. Some 20 minutes after DEPARTURE the engine commenced to run roughly, and the pilot elected to divert to the nearest suitable aerodrome. Shortly afterwards, the engine backfired severely and black smoke entered the cabin through an air vent. The engine subsequently stopped completely and the pilot was committed to a forced landing on unsuitable terrain. The gear collapsed and the aircraft collided with two fences before coming to rest. On vacating the aircraft, the pilot discovered that a fire was burning under the cowls on the right side of the engine. The fire was extinguished by the pilot and passengers. The cause of the engine failure could not be determined. However, the insulation of both magneto coils was badly deteriorated. It is considered likely that during the period that the aircraft was inactive, moisture accumulated in the magnetoes. This moisture, together with the deteriorated insulation, probably caused the magneto to misfire and fail. The fire developed in the engine bay after severe backfiring caused the exhaust cluster on the right hand side of the engine to separate from the muffler. The hot exhaust gases then ignited the fibreglass cowling and the melting resin emitted the black smoke which entered the cabin via the hot air vent.

Following a dual check, the pilot was authorised to carry out three solo circuits and landings. The first of these was completed satisfactorily, but on the next landing the aircraft bounced and the pilot applied full power in order to go around. Shortly afterwards the aircraft sank, struck the ground with the nosewheel and the left wing, and overturned. The pilot later advised that he had held the control column fully back during the go-around attempt, and he had not raised the flaps from the fully lowered position.

As the aircraft was being flared for the landing, a mob of sheep ran onto the strip. Two sheep were hit by the aircraft, one being thrown up against the left flap and the other struck the right tailplane. The landing was completed without further incident. The strip was not fenced off from the rest of the paddock and the pilot did not see the mob as he approached to land.

The aircraft was returning to land at the completion of a local flight. The pilot, who had only recently purchased the aircraft, had not flown it before with four persons on board. He was compensating for a crosswind, and misjudged the flare, probably because of the higher sink rate of the heavier aircraft. The aircraft touched down and bounced several times, before ground looping and coming to rest at the edge of the flight strip.

In the course of a daily inspection, a LAME discovered that the aircraft had sustained damage to the nosewheel support structure and the firewall. It was evident that the damage had occurred as a result of a heavy landing. The last pilot to fly the aircraft reported that after landing at Albany he had noted that the nosewheel oleo was flat. After seeking advice from the aircraft operator, he had flown the aircraft back to Jandakot. It was possible that the damage had occurred during the landing at Albany. The pilot had limited experience on type and the aircraft was operated near its maximum gross weight. The pilot stated that he was high on the approach at Albany so he rapidly closed the throttle prior to hold-off. The nose attitude was high and although the mainwheels contacted the runway first, when the nosewheel touched-down, it did so harder than normal.