The aircraft had been parked in the open and was exposed to a heavy frost. The pilot and his son attempted to clear ice accumulations from the top surfaces of the aerofoils by throwing warm water over them. Some 20-25 minutes elasped between the ice clearing operation and the takeoff attempt, during which time the aircraft was taxied to the airstrip and a second passenger emplaned. No further checks were made for new accumulations of ice. Following lift off, the aircraft commenced an uncommanded turn to the right. By the use of full left aileron and left rudder, the pilot was able to regain some directional control, but could not prevent the aircraft from striking boulders on the side of the strip. During the subsequent ground slide, the fuel system was broached and the aircraft was destroyed in the resulting fire. Post crash inspection of the aircraft revealed that the rudder had been fouling the elevator control, thereby preventing adequate control travel, for continued flight under the existing conditions.

The aircraft was undergoing its first flight following an accident in which the landing gear had been torn off. As the gear was selected up after take-off, a loud bang was heard and shortly afterwards the low hydraulic pressure warning light illuminated. The crew observed that the nosegear was in a partially extended position, and all attempts to raise or lower it to a locked position were unsuccessful. Touchdown was made on the mainwheels and the aircraft slid to a halt on its nose when the nosegear collapsed. The nosegear doors were found to be incorrectly rigged, and the hydraulic system relief valve had been set to a higher than recommended pressure. An hydraulic line had burst, and the consequent loss of pressure prevented the nosegear from extending or retracting. The emergency gear lowering system had failed to operate when a retaining clamp did not prevent the actuating cable assembly from slipping.

The pilot was carrying out circuit and landing practice. On the third landing the aircraft was landed with the landing gear retracted. The pilot stated that he did not recall lowering the gear on the downwind leg and was distracted during the final approach. He did not complete the final approach check, which included a check that the landing gear was down, and reports that he mistook the gear warning horn for the stall warning horn when he closed the throttle just prior to touchdown. This accident was not the subject of an on-site investigation.

The aircraft touched down, in a three point attitude, just short of the sealed runway and bounced. The pilot applied power and the aircraft was landed, mainwheels first, on the runway. Towards the end of the landing roll, as the nose of the aircraft was lowered, the propeller contacted the runway and the aircraft came to rest with the nosewheel pushed back against the gear doors. Pieces of metal from the nosegear landing assembly were found along the runway. No evidence was found of any pre-existing defect in the nosewheel mechanism. At the point of touchdown the nosewheel struck the five centimetre high lip at the end of the sealed runway. This impact broke the bearing end of the nosegear retraction assembly actuator which resulted in the nosegear collapsing.

The aircraft had been engaged in mustering cattle in flat, open country. The pilot elected to land near a utility to obtain further instructions from stockmen in the vehicle. Approaching the vehicle, the aircraft suddenly commenced to vibrate severely and to lose height. The pilot was unable to avoid a collision with the utility, following which the aircraft struck the ground heavily and overturned. No fault was subsequently found with the helicopter which might have contributed to the development of the accident. The symptoms described by the pilot suggested that the vibration experienced was associated with a main rotor blade tracking problem. It was likely that while manoeuvring to reduce speed prior to landing, the aircraft was placed in a position where the lead and lag action of the rotor blades temporarily exceeded the capacity of the blade dampers. Because of the low height above the ground at which this occurred, there was insufficient time or height in which the pilot could effect recovery.

The pilot was conducting sheep spotting operations on behalf of a friend. These operations had been carried out during the previous day, and the pilot had also assisted with mustering after flying for the day had been completed. On the following morning, the pilot commenced further spotting at about 0830 hours, and the aircraft was last seen about one hour later. The wreckage was discovered at about 0945 hours. The aircraft had impacted the ground while in a steep nose-down attitude, probably after stalling at a low height above the ground. No fault or defect was subsequently found with the aircraft or its systems which might have contributed to the accident. Remains of a cake and an apple were found in the wreckage. Medical tests revealed that the pilot had been eating immediately prior to the accident, and had choked when food became caught in his throat. It was probable that this incapacitation resulted in the pilot losing control of the aircraft.

The pilot was competing in a cross country gliding competition when it became apparent to him that an outlanding would be necessary. He then positioned the glider to carry out a circuit for a landing in a paddock. After turning the aircraft onto final approach and deploying full airbrake, the pilot noticed that the indicated airspeed had greatly reduced. He then attempted to close the airbrake but the nose of the aircraft dropped and struck the ground. The aircraft bounced on impact and came to rest 17 metres beyond the initial point of impact.

Before DEPARTURE the pilot dipped the fuel tanks and estimated there was sufficient fuel to complete the flight. Approaching the destination the engine stopped. The pilot selected a road on a newly developed housing subdivision as the only suitable landing area, and an approach was made into the north-east with a tailwind of about 15 Knots. After touchdown, the pilot realised he would be unable to stop the aircraft before a sharp bend in the road and as a result brought it to a stop by steering it between two power poles. The pilot reported that he had flown this route many times and a weather forecast had not been obtained. Had a forecast been obtained and the forecast wind applied, the resulting estimated time interval would have confirmed that there was insufficient fuel on board to complete the flight with the mandatory reserves.

At the conclusion of a survey flight, the pilot elected to conduct a practice autorotative landing. The wind at the time was varying by about 30 degrees, and was gusting between 15 and 30 knots. The exercise proceeded normally until the helicopter had reached a height of about 10 feet above the ground. At this point the aircraft encountered heavy sink, and the pilot was unable to level the skids before the aircraft contacted the ground in a tail-low attitude. The tail boom was broken and both tail rotor blades were damaged. Although the pilot had extensive helicopter experience, his exposure to the lightweight types such as that involved in this accident was limited. It was likely on this occasion that he did not detect that the rotor rpm had decayed at a critical stage of the approach.

The helicopter was being used in a program of disease eradication in cattle. After operating for about one hour, the pilot flew to a boat anchored in the river and hovered alongside it while signalling to the crew that the aircraft would return in about two hours. As the helicopter left the hover it was climbed to approximately 60 feet in a left turn through 270 degrees. The aircraft was then descended to an unnecessarily low altitude while gaining speed. Shortly afterwards, as the aircraft approached the bank of the river, the pilot realised that the aircraft was not responding to control inputs as he had expected. He applied more collective control in an effort to avoid flying into the water, but the rotor overpitched and the aircraft struck the water at about 40 knots. No defect was found that would have prevented normal operation of the flight controls or engine.