Following a normal circuit, the aircraft touched down with the landing gear doors open and the gear partly extended. The gear collapsed as the aircraft slid to a halt on its under-surface. The pilot had diverted so that a telephone call could be made and he decided to land well down the runway to save time taxying. He forgot to select the gear down until immediately prior to touchdown.

The pilot reported that, after commencing the take-off with flaps up, he selected 10 degrees of flap and rotated at 60 knots. Although the aircraft became airborne it did not climb normally. The aircraft struck a telephone line near the end of the strip and then landed in a paddock before passing under a power line. With full power still applied, the pilot attempted to clear a fence but the wing leading edges struck fenceposts. The aircraft landed heavily and came to rest 478 metres from the strip end. The take-off performance had been degraded by a loss of engine power resulting from unserviceable piston rings in two cylinders. The aircraft was being operated at some 120 Kilograms in excess of the weight extracted from the performance charts as being the maximum allowable for the strip length.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he had obtained permission to use the Authorised Landing Area and had operated there on several occasions. He was assured that the strip was maintained and mown regularly. On arrival the previous day, he noted that the grass was unusually long. From the take-off weight chart, he calculated that in nil wind conditions the aircraft weight was less than the maximum allowable for the prevailing strip conditions. Several taxying runs were made up and down the strip to assess aircraft acceleration. The pilot then commenced a take-off run towards the west into an estimated five to eight knot headwind. Take-off safety speed was achieved, and the aircraft became airborne about sixty metres before the end of the strip but failed to climb. The airspeed began to decay, and the aural stall warning was heard. The pilot closed the throttle and landed in a paddock ahead. Because of the damp grass, braking was ineffective, and the aircraft collided with a fence. Although the strip elevation was 3350 feet, the pilot said that based on earlier advice from his instructors, and from his knowledge of the engine manufacturers recommendations, he did not consider leaning the fuel mixture for take-off. He also said that local pilots had suggested there was a wind tunnelling effect at the end of the strip due to the terrain.

Circumstances:

The pilot was landing on a grass strip located on his property. Just prior to touchdown the aircraft developed a high rate of sink. The aircraft bounced twice, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear.

The pilot who was inexperienced in mustering operations was impressed with the efficiency of the other members of the mustering team. So as not to be seen to be wasting time, the pilot elected to land downwind on the shorter strip instead of clearing cattle from the main strip. However, he did not notice a washout crossing the shorter strip. During the landing roll the aircraft entered the washout and the nosegear leg was broken off, the propeller, engine cowling and right wing were also damaged.

Circumstances:

There was a thunderstorm in the vicinity of Koolan Island when the aircraft arrived, and the pilot held until the storm had cleared the area. The pilot made a normal full flap approach touching down approximately 300 metres into the 661 metre strip. After approximately 100 metres of ground roll on the wet gravel/coral strip, all braking effectiveness ceased. The pilot attempted to steer the aircraft to the left to avoid overrunning the end of the strip, however, the aircraft skidded, turned through 180 degrees, and came to a stop partially off the strip, resting on the cargo pod and the right wing tip. After the aircraft stopped the pilot observed the surface was hard, there were oil-soaked areas on the surface and water was still running off the strip.

Circumstances:

The pilot's DEPARTURE was delayed by business discussions, and he arrived over the Pinnacles Station after last light. During the landing attempt without runway lighting and in overcast conditions, the pilot raised the nose for landing whilst the aircraft was high and to the right of the strip. On touchdown the nosewheel entered soft sand and collapsed. The aircraft overturned during the landing.

Having completed his first solo the previous day, the pilot was given a dual check and authorised to carry out five solo circuits. The first landing was reported as normal, however on the second, the pilot carried out a go-around after the aircraft bounced to about 30 ft. After a slight bounce on the next landing a go-around was carried out and the aircraft adopted a nose up attitude and turned left. The left wing struck a fence before the aircraft was landed in a field.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he was taxiing towards the parking area when he misjudged the distance between the aircraft and a fuel tanker. The aircraft's right wing collided with the tanker

During cruising flight the pilot noticed an indication of a high battery discharge rate, and saw that the alternator and landing gear pump circuit breakers had popped. Both breakers were reset, but a short time later the gear pump breaker popped again. The pilot reset the device and shortly afterwards smoke was observed coming from the centre console area. The pilot elected to make an immediate landing on a short, disused strip. The aircraft overran the strip and the pilot steered the aircraft into a tree to avoid running into a gully. An internal fault in the landing gear hydraulic pump resulted in damage to the pump motor, which then ran continuously, overloading the circuit. The resetting of the circuit breaker allowed the overload condition to continue until the over-heated powerpack venting system failed and hydraulic oil was sprayed over the unit, producing the smoke in the cockpit. The pilot subsequently misjudged his approach and touched down half way along the selected strip.