Circumstances:

During the landing roll, the tail wheel springs failed, and the tail wheel fell from the aircraft. This resulted in a loss of directional control as the aircraft weather-cocked. The aircraft came to rest against the boundary fence. The mode of failure has not been established.

The pilot reported that the take-off on runway 17 proceeded normally until immediately after the gear was selected up. At this point the aircraft pitched up and rolled to the left. The pilot pushed the auto-pilot release button on the control column and heard the release annunciator sound, however he noted that the yaw damper and auto-pilot annunciators were illuminated. He also noted the elevator trim wheel moving and shortly thereafter the stick shaker began to operate at an aircraft speed of about 115 knots. The aircraft was manoeuvred for a successful landing on runway 26. It was determined that water had entered the auto-pilot computer via a faulty seal on the electronics compartment door. Prior to take-off the pilot armed the flight director system in the indicated air speed and heading modes. During the take-off run the auto-pilot engaged, wound the elevator trim nose up and commanded a left turn. The pilot managed to overpower the auto-pilot inputs by applying extremely high forces to the control column, but in doing so was unable to withdraw one hand from this task to trip the circuit breaker controlling power to the auto-pilot.

The pilot was making his second solo flight at the completion of a one-week gliding course. On the landing approach the glider was seen to be undershooting with the speed brakes extended. As the approach continued the undershoot increased but the speed brakes remained extended. The glider struck a fence, bounced across a road and struck a second fence at the aerodrome boundary. A fence wire rode over the nose, shattering the canopy and decapitating the pilot. No contributory fault was found with any of the components of the glider. The pilot misjudged the final approach.

Circumstances:

During a period of circuit training, the instructor initiated a practice forced landing while on the downwind leg. The student flew the circuit, but during the turn onto final approach, allowed an undershoot situation with low airspeed to develop, resulting in a heavy landing on one main wheel. The instructor had not adequately monitored the airspeed and did not allow for the prevailing conditions which were reported as calm with some sink on final approach.

Circumstances:

At the completion of a cross-country flight, the pilot attempted an out landing on a cleared area about 1 kilometre north of the aerodrome boundary. The approach path was in a southerly direction and took the glider between two large hangars, which were off the aerodrome. Powerlines which the pilot did not see, ran east west beside a road between the hangars and the outlanding field. The glider collided with these powerlines, separating the tailplane from the fuselage and the canopy was shattered.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he had carried out several take-offs and landings on the same stretch of beach immediately before the accident. During the landing roll the aircraft encountered a soft patch of sand and nosed over, bending the main spar and some ribs.

The flight was arranged in order to drop three parachutists to a school fete. Winds at the time were gusting around 15 knots and there is a 20 knot limit on parachuting, with the equipment in use. Two jumpers landed successfully in the school grounds, although the second person landed heavily due to turbulence near adjacent trees. The third jumper conducted an approach similar to the others but he went too far downwind before turning to approach the landing point. When it became evident that the desired landing area could not be reached the parachutist approached for a landing amongst houses. He landed on the roof of a house but was dragged off and into a fence, sustaining spinal injuries and lacerations.

Circumstances:

The pilot had limited solo experience in powered aircraft and had never flown the accident aircraft type before. He said he had been conducting taxi tests with no intention of flying. However, about three quarters of the way down the runway the aircraft unexpectedly became airborne, on somewhat less than full power. Assuming there was insufficient runway remaining for a landing, the pilot climbed to what he assessed to be a safe altitude and turned left without changing the power setting. He was concerned at the low indicated airspeed and when the right wing dropped, he thought the aircraft had stalled. He immediately applied full power and lowered the nose. No other control inputs were made, and the aircraft flew into the ground under high power in a shallow descent. The pilot's instructor said he noticed the pitot head was misaligned before the aircraft was assembled on the morning of the accident. He realigned the head but noticed that it rotated reasonably easily in its mounting. He noticed the head was again misaligned after the accident. If the head had been misaligned during the flight the indicated airspeed would underread. This could explain why the aircraft unexpectedly became airborne, then cause the pilot to think he had stalled when the right wing dropped at low indicated airspeed.

At a height of approximately 50 feet after take-off the engine suddenly lost all power. The pilot was able to glide the aircraft over several drainage banks, two fences and an irrigation canal but a high rate of descent developed and the aircraft landed heavily and overturned. Fire broke out and the central section of the fuselage was burnt out. The investigation was hampered by the extent of fire damage and the cause of the loss of engine power was not positively established.

The pilot lived alone on his property and was last seen on 29 April when he indicated to a friend that he planned to fly his aircraft the following day if conditions were suitable. He had not flown the aircraft before, but was believed to have made taxy runs and short hops during the previous weeks. Two days later the pilot's brother reported that he was missing and that the aircraft was not at the property. The wreckage was located the following afternoon by a search aircraft. An inspection of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft had struck the ground inverted, at a low forward speed, and that the engine was not developing power at the time of impact. No fault was subsequently found with the engine, and it was considered that it had probably stopped shortly before impact, under negative "g" conditions. The pilot was inexperienced, and the particular aircraft was known to be difficult to control in pitch. It was likely that the pilot experienced handling problems which he was unable to correct before the final loss of control.