After touchdown the aircraft bounced back into the air and the pilot then raised the flap to the fully retracted position. The aircraft contacted the runway nosewheel first, bounced again and landed on its nosewheeel for the second time. The nosegear subsequently failed and the aircraft skidded straight ahead and came to rest on the runway. The pilot had been advised by an instructor, on the day he left on this trip, to use an approach speed of 80 knots. However, the Piper Operating Instructions for this aircraft recommends an approach speed of 66 knots. The aircraft was flared at 80 knots and ballooned. The pilot said that he was uncertain about landing at a major airport and apprehensive about this landing because of the possibility of wake turbulence from a Boeing 727, which had departed five minutes previously. This accident was not the subject of an on-site investigation.

Prior to the flight the pilot had an associate check that the strip was serviceable. On arrival overhead the airfield the pilot chose to land on the shorter of the two strips into a 30 knot wind. During the landing roll, as the aircraft crossed the other strip, the pilot observed that the strip had been recently hoed. The nosewheel sunk into the soft surface, the aircraft veered to the left and the nosegear leg folded rearwards. The associate did not check the condition of the strip but advised the pilot that the strip was "always okay". The pilot did not check with the owner of the strip to ascertain its status, which at the time of the accident was undergoing reconstruction. Although not required for an ALA, the owner had placed a white unserviceability cross adjacent to the windsock. The pilot reported that he did not see that marker. This accident was not the subject of an on-site investigation.

The pilot, who held a Class Four Instrument Rating, had planned the flight as currency training. At Narrogin, he set the aircraft up on a long final approach but reported that on several occasions during the approach he found that the aircraft became low and he needed to adjust the flight path. About midway along final, the pilot stated that he felt a thump on the left side of the aircraft but the aircraft continued to operate normally, so he continued with the approach and landing. After parking the aircraft the damage to the left wing was noticed. The pilot had a total of 15 hours night flying experience and this was the first time since obtaining his Class Four Instrument Rating, some 12 months previously, that he had landed an aircraft at night at any location other than Jandakot. The pilot stated that he had developed the habit of carrying out a flat approach to ensure he made good his nominated touchdown point. He believes he carried out the same procedure on this occasion. The tree struck by the aircraft was 15 metres high and situated about 500 metres before the strip threshold, it was below the required approach gradient.

During the take-off run the right gear leg failed. The aircraft had just passed through a soft patch of ground then run over a grass tussock. The severed section of the leg punctured the right wing and dented the tailplane as the aircraft slid to a halt. A subsequent metallurgical examination found that the leg fractured because of the growth to critical size of a fatigue crack. The fatigue had originated in small surface imperfections caused by corrosion pitting.

After a dual check the pilot's instructor briefed the pilot to carry out two circuits, each with a full stop landing. Following the first circuit and landing, the pilot applied power to commence the take-off without bringing the aircraft to a stop. The aircraft veered sharply to the left, became airborne momentarily, before settling back onto the ground outside the flight strip. Flaps were selected fully down and the aircraft continued under full power across a storm water drain for another 38 metres before coming to rest. This was the pilot's second solo exercise. Following the loss of directional control it appears that the pilot became confused and did not apply the correct control inputs to bring the aircraft to a stop.

The student had been practicing circuits with touch and go landings for about 75 minutes. An approach was then made for a full-stop landing. The aircraft was flared too high, and it subsequently touched down heavily and bounced. The instructor took control and landed the aircraft, but the left wing lowered until it touched the ground. After vacating the aircraft, the crew discovered that the left maingear torque bolt had failed, allowing the wheel and oleo assembly to fall clear of the strut during the bounce. The landings had been conducted in crosswind conditions, and at the time of the last approach the wind strength had increased. The aircraft had touched down heavily while drifting under the effect of the crosswind, and the resulting loads had caused the torque bolt to fail. It was likely that the pilot's performance had been affected by the onset of fatigue, as a result of the lengthy training period under difficult operating conditions.

When the pilot arrived at his destination it was after last light and there was no strip lighting available. The pilot nevertheless decided to land, and although he believed he had aligned the aircraft with the strip correctly, it was in fact lined-up to the left of the strip. After touchdown the aircraft ran through a washout and the nosegear and left maingear collapsed. The pilot had been aware when he commenced the flight that he would be unable to reach his destination before last light. He had been reluctant to land at an alternate aerodrome, because he had been wearing old clothes and had no money or credit cards with him.

The pilot had not been authorised to conduct the flight and had never previously operated into the strip. He had arranged to accompany another pilot to the destination but when that pilot was unable to make the flight he decided to fly the aircraft himself. He stated that he was apprenhesive about high ground on the approach and the aircraft touched down well into the 1400 metre strip. After commencing heavy braking a late decision was made to carry out a go-around. During the attempted go-around the aircraft crossed a deep gully, off the end of the strip, and the rear fuselage struck a dirt bank. The impact caused the nosewheel to strike the ground heavily and the nosegear strut collapsed. The aircraft skidded across a paddock striking several fence posts and a fence before coming to rest on a road, 208 metres beyond the end of the strip.

The pilot had been spreading in the general area of the strip for most of the afternoon. When he commenced operations to the south of the strip an area of sink was experienced on approach to the selected paddock. To allow for this, a reduced weight was uplifted on following flights, and a further six loads were spread successfully. However, as he commenced the turn to line up for the first spreading run with a new load, strong sink and turbulence were encountered. Realising that the aircraft would not clear a line of trees, the pilot continued the turn to the left but the angle of bank suddenly increased and the nose pitched down. The pilot dumped the load and applied right rudder but the aircraft struck the ground heavily. No defect with the aircraft was subsequently discovered which may have contributed to the development of the accident. It was likely that the aircraft was affected by a strong wind gust, which generated a substantial downdraft. The aircraft stalled during the pilot's efforts to avoid the trees, and there was insufficient height available in which a recovery could be effected. It was possible that had the pilot dumped the load before the aircraft stalled, the aircraft may have had sufficient performance to counteract the downdraft.

As the pilot was unfamiliar with operations at Bankstown, he had arranged to land at a strip near Hartley to pick up another pilot who would accompany him to Bankstown. The pilot inspected the strip from the air and was advised by the pilot on the ground to land uphill, into the north-east. A landing in this direction resulted in a quartering 10 knot tailwind. The aircraft bounced on touchdown and began to swing to the left. Being unable to regain directional control, the pilot applied full power to go-around as the aircraft went off the strip and over an embankment. During the go-around the tailplane struck a fence, and the aircraft came to rest against the fence, 38 metres to the left of the strip centreline and 250 metres from the initial point of touchdown. The pilot had not allowed for a crosswind component during the landing, and once the swing developed he was unable to correct it. The strip did not meet the width requirement for a private ALA.