Circumstances:

The pilot reported he was unable to extend the flaps during his prelanding checks, despite several attempts. Turning onto base, the pilot noticed a commuter aircraft about to taxi to the active runway and decided to carry out a flapless landing. As power was reduced, during the turn onto final approach, an aural warning sounded. Thinking it was the stall warning, he increased power and the warning ceased. The approach was continued until power reduction at the flare when the warning again sounded as the aircraft settled onto the runway with the landing gear still retracted. The pilot stated that he failed to complete his prelanding checks and extend the landing gear after the flap failure. He also incorrectly identified the landing gear warning as the stall warning.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported losing thermal activity during the return leg of a cross-country task. On descending to 2000 feet above ground level, she elected to carry out an outlanding and selected a field. The pilot reported experiencing difficulty on maintaining wings level on final approach. The glider apparently struck the ground with the left wingtip during the attempted landing and spun through 180 degrees, sustaining substantial damage. A site inspection of the ground marks and wreckage trail by the club Chief Flying Instructor indicated that the landing had apparently been carried out downwind.

The pilot reported that while cattle-spotting at about 200 feet above ground level the engine lost power. He commenced a forced landing into a large clearing when, at about 30 feet, the engine regained power. He reported that he attempted to fly away but the aircraft sank, nose-down and left wing low, to the ground. Examination of the engine found no explanation for the reported loss of power. The left wingtip had scraped the ground for a distance of 28 metres, with the aircraft banked at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The aircraft had then yawed left and cartwheeled for 65 metres before coming to rest. Damage to the propeller was consistent with the engine producing high power.

On the evening preceding the accident the pilot indicated his intention to commence mustering early the next morning. The pilot arose at about 0530 hours and it is believed that the aircraft took off at about 0600. The aircraft was seen at about 0620 by the stockmen. It was flying at about 100 ft agl and when the engine noise ceased and the aircraft was not seen again one stockman rode to a nearby bore and found the inverted aircraft wreckage. The aircraft had impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. No contributory fault could be found with the aircraft or the associated systems. The pilot did not hold a mustering approval and no evidence of him having undergone such training could be found. It is probable that the aircraft stalled at low level and that the pilot was unable to regain control before ground impact.

Circumstances:

The aircraft was one of two being used to muster a large paddock and was being operated by an experienced mustering pilot with a trainee mustering pilot on board. At the completion of the paddock muster, the aircraft was carrying out yard up operations which required manoeuvres at low altitudes. Whilst chasing a breakaway beast, the pilot turned tightly, and a main rotor blade contacted the ground. The aircraft tumbled forward and came to rest on its side. It is probable that the pilot was concentrating his attention on the escaping beast and did not pay sufficient attention to flying his aircraft.

The pilot elected to conduct a practice autorotation. His initial intention was to reapply power and to discontinue the exercise before reaching the ground, but during the descent he changed his mind and decided to continue to the ground. As the pilot flared the helicopter the tail skid contacted the ground and the main rotors struck the tail boom and tail rotor shaft. The pilot chose an unfamiliar sand bar on which to practice the autorotational landing. The associated glare from such a surface and the lack of visual cues for height assessment are considered to have led the pilot to misjudge his height for the flare.

Circumstances:

Following a firm touch down, during the landing sequence the right main gear leg snapped. The aircraft came to a halt within the confines of the runway. Apparently, the student on the previous flight in this aircraft had made a series of heavy landings which were not reported.

Towards the end of the landing roll the aircraft began to diverge to the right. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to correct the situation and the aircraft ground looped. The left main gear leg was broken off and the left wing, tailplane and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot was inexperienced on tailwheel aircraft and the landing was conducted in light quartering tailwind conditions.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that while attempting to start the aircraft engine, he smelt smoke. All occupants evacuated the aircraft, and the pilot attempted to extinguish the fire in the engine compartment with the aircraft's two fire extinguishers. He was unsuccessful in his attempt and called for assistance. By the time the local fire truck arrived the aircraft had been destroyed by the fire. The degree of destruction was too extensive to permit any meaningful investigation into the cause of the fire.

When the gear was selected down it did not fully extend and the gear circuit breaker tripped. Initially the circuit breaker could not be reset nor could the gear be lowered using the emergency system. The circuit breaker was subsequently reset and a gear down indication obtained. Shortly after touchdown the aircraft yawed until it was travelling backwards. The tailskid struck the runway and the aircraft came to rest after turning through a further 90 degrees. The right main wheel was found to have turned through 90 degrees because the scissor linkage arms had become disconnected. A castellated nut and its retaining split pin was found to be missing from the bolt which joins the scissor linkage arms. The reason for the loss of these items could not be positively established.