The aircraft was engaged on a multi-sector flight for the purpose of transporting bank documents. After the pilot completed normal pre-landing checks the aircraft made an apparently normal touchdown on runway 05. During the subsequent landing roll the undercarriage commenced to retract, resulting in the left main and nose gear legs collapsing. The aircraft skidded for a short distance before coming to rest 10 metres beyond the runway edge. No evidence was found of a pre-existing fault in the undercarriage system. It was considered probable the gear was inadvertently selected up whilst the pilot was attempting to raise the flaps during the landing ground roll.

The pilot intended to spray a cotton crop. A power line crossed the area at an oblique angle, and at the point where the aircraft passed under the wire there was a head ditch one metre high, dividing two paddocks. On the first spraying run the pilot misjudged the clearance under the wire and the mainwheels struck the top of the ditch. The aircraft remained controllable and an uneventful landing was subsequently carried out at the destination aerodrome. Damage was confined to the gear truss points and shock absorbers.

The pilot had expressed an interest in purchasing the ultralight. The owner agreed to allow him to carry out a series of hops along the runway, to familiarize himself with the aircraft. The pilot did one hop and on the second liftoff continued to climb ahead but to a steeper than normal angle. At about 80 feet agl the engine misfired then stopped with the aircraft still nose high. The aircraft turned right, stalled and impacted the ground in a steep nose down attitude. The carburettor main jet was found to be blocked by the remains of an earwig, one of a number that had entered the float bowl via the unfiltered vent ports, possibly while the aircraft was stored in its darkened trailer for the preceding month. The engine failure and stall occurred at a height which did not allow the pilot to recover control before ground impact.

Circumstances:

The pilot was attempting a Silver C distance gliding task. When an outlanding became inevitable a paddock was selected and an approach to land into wind commenced. At about 100 feet above the ground the pilot became aware that the intended landing area was not suitable. The pilot attempted to manoeuvre the aircraft to affect a safe landing but during this procedure the left wing dropped, and the aircraft landed heavily while travelling sideways.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he felt a "kick" in the tail rotor which disappeared immediately. A short time later, the anomaly returned, and the pilot elected to carry out a precautionary landing. However, the engine suddenly failed, and the pilot had to use most of the rotor inertia to reach a suitable landing area. The following attempt to cushion the landing with the use of collective input was ineffective and a heavy landing ensued. An inspection of the aircraft by the operator revealed traces of water in the carburettor fuel bowl and this is believed to have caused the engine failure. No other defects or anomalies were reported.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that the landing area was surrounded by trees. During the take-off sequence, shortly after the helicopter rose to above treetop level, sink was encountered. The application of full collective pitch did not prevent the helicopter striking the trees.

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.