The pilot had planned to carry out a cattle muster in conjunction with another aircraft. He had been late in departing his base but when he found the other aircraft had not yet arrived at the rendezvous point he decided to make a quick comfort stop. The helicopter was landed on a spinifex covered area and the pilot disembarked leaving the engine running. Shortly afterwards he noticed a fire underneath the helicopter and reboarded in an attempt to fly it away from the fire. The engine did not respond. The pilot disembarked and attempted unsuccessfully to extinguish the fire. He received burns to his hands and legs while unloading equipment and the helicopter was destroyed.

The aircraft was cruising at 1500 feet agl when a large bird was struck. Substantial damage was caused to the right wing of the aircraft, however the pilot subsequently carried out an uneventful landing.

Circumstances:

On the day of the accident, the pilot had ferried the helicopter from Scone to Tomalla Station. He conducted an aerial inspection with the station manager before commencement of blackberry spraying activities. The accident occurred during the 14th spray flight whilst the pilot was attempting to fly the helicopter between two large trees. The pilot lost control of the helicopter when the main rotor blades struck branches of one of the trees. The helicopter impacted the ground heavily and soon after the pilot vacated the cabin, a fire started which destroyed the helicopter. The pilot said there was sufficient clearance for the helicopter to pass safely between the trees.

During cruise the pilot noticed that the electrical system was malfunctioning. The ammeter was reading zero, the system was switched off and a diversion for landing carried out. The pilot reported that, on arrival in the circuit area, the landing gear could not be lowered by the emergency system. A wheels-up landing was made. An inspection of the aircraft revealed that the electrical problems were due an alternator failure which resulted from a faulty connection on a brush lead. The reason that the gear was unable to be lowered by the emergency system could not be determined.

The pilot selected a 340 metre long taxiway as the take-off path. After a ground roll of about 250 metres, at an indicated airspeed of approximately 55 knots, the pilot rotated the aircraft and it became airborne, but did not climb away. He then closed the throttle and the aircraft collided with several trees before coming to rest. The pilot was unfamiliar with the airfield but had been advised that the strip was 915 metres long. He was unaware that the take-off path he had selected was along the taxiway which led to the strip. Prior to the attempted take-off, he had been involved in an argument with his employer and was probably also fatigued after a week of extensive business travel.

The pilot had operated into the strip two weeks prior to the accident flight, and saw a powerline that had apparently been diverted underground, near one end. After checking with his passengers who were familiar with the area, a landing was made. On this flight a flatter approach was made and the nose leg snagged on the powerline causing the aircraft to impact the ground in a steep nose down attitude. The 10 metre high powerline had been diverted to cross the approach area, above ground, 274 metres from the threshold.

Circumstances:

The aircraft was taking off from an Authorized Landing Area for a local flight. The weather was fine and calm, with a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. The pilot reported that after a take-off run of 300 metres the engine lost power. The take-off was abandoned and wheel braking applied. At the same time, in a further attempt to reduce speed, the pilot steered the aircraft towards the right side of the strip, where the grass was longer. The nose wheel entered soft ground, resulting in the propeller striking the surface and the aircraft gently overturning. The reason for the loss of power was not determined.

Circumstances:

A weather front was approaching Rottnest Island from the north-west. The pilot departed before the weather arrived, climbing to 1500 feet whilst intercepting the south easterly track to Jandakot. Shortly after reaching 1500 feet, the weather closed in, and the pilot was unable to avoid entering cloud. The pilot did not request assistance from Perth Air Traffic Services. Instead, he turned towards the island and commenced an instrument descent expecting to descend clear of the cloud and land at Rottnest without difficulty. The aircraft exited the cloud at a low height above the sea, to be suddenly confronted with boats and land. During the sharp left hand avoidance turn, the left wing struck the water. The aileron was torn off and the wing and fuselage were damaged by the impact. The pilot retained control and carried out an emergency landing at Rottnest Island airport.

The pilot was conducting a pleasure flight from Australia to the Solomon Islands via various aerodromes in Papua New Guinea. He reported that shortly after take-off the engine lost power and he was forced to ditch the aircraft, which subsequently sank in 100 metres of water. Investigation of this accident is the responsibility of the PNG authorities. The investigation indicated that the take-off attempt had been made with the aircraft loaded in excess of the maximum recommended for the length of strip available.

Circumstances:

The student pilot had completed a period of instruction and a follow-up solo sortie on the morning of the accident. He was landing following a further period of solo circuits when the accident occurred. The aircraft appeared to touch down normally but then veered to the right without any apparent attempts at correction. The aircraft left the runway and crossed a small embankment before going through a fence into the adjoining paddock. It is possible that the pilot had reached task saturation after the third hour of flying involving stalling, incipient spins, and circuit work. The pilot was also tending to land flat and fast. It is probable that the aircraft started to "wheelbarrow" as a result of the approach technique used and the pilot did not react in time to avoid the DEPARTURE from the runway.