Enroute to his planned destination the pilot flew around the Mt. Beauty area for several minutes. He had not previously landed at the strip and had not intended to on this occasion, however after watching other aircraft operating a decision to land was made. A go-around was made from the first approach as the aircraft was high on late final. Touchdown from the subsequent approach was made well into the strip and the aircraft bounced. A go-around was initiated but while turning to avoid trees the left wing struck the ground and the aircraft cartwheeled, coming to rest inverted. Witnesses reported that during the go-around the aircraft adopted a steep nose high attitude but did not climb. The turn left was initiated whilst the aircraft was in this attitude. No fault was subsequently found with the engine or associated systems. The pilot had probably established the aircraft in a steeper than normal attitude because of the presence of a hill adjacent to the strip.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he was manoeuvring near the side of a hill when the aircraft encountered an area of sink. An attempt to fly out of the sink was unsuccessful and the pilot manipulated the aircraft controls in an attempt to minimise the damage on touchdown. The keel beam fractured forward of the mast.

Shortly after a normal take-off, the pilot sensed that the engine was not delivering full power and the passenger commented that he could detect rough running. The pilot attempted to reach a clear area ahead, but the aircraft collided with 3 metre high scrub while in a nose-high attitude. It then spun through 180 degrees before coming to rest about 10 metres from the initial impact point. A fire broke out which destroyed most of the fuselage and part of the wings. The investigation was hampered by the degree of fire damage, however no fault was found with the engine which might have explained the reported loss of power. Atmospheric conditions were conducive to carburettor icing, but whether this had in fact occurred could not be determined.

The aircraft is fitted with a tail skid and has no brakes. The pilot was taxying on the grass beside the taxyway in order to increase the rolling resistance of the wheels. His attention was directed to the right, when the left lower wing struck a sign which was 6 metres from the edge of the taxyway.

Circumstances:

The occasion of the flight was a photographic shoot to illustrate a pilot's perspective while spinning an aircraft. The pilot had recently completed a course on aerobatics and spinning. At 6000 feet he commenced the entry to a left spin, using the technique taught by the school. After about one and three quarter turns, when the spin appeared 'unusual', he decided to recover, releasing the control column and applying full right rudder. He then noticed the airspeed increasing at an alarming rate but was unable to stop the rotation. The airspeed rapidly increased through maximum permitted airspeed to 180/190 kts, at which point the pilot centralised the controls. The aircraft stopped rotating and the pilot recovered from the dive at about 700 ft agl. He then noticed severe overstress wrinkling on both wings and elected to carry out an immediate power-off emergency landing. The aircraft suffered further damage when it struck a small embankment during the landing roll. The wing damage indicated a rolling overstress consistent with a high speed spiral dive to the right. After analysis and experimentation, the pilot's chief flying instructor was able to reproduce the symptoms and concluded that control relaxation at a critical time in the spin entry resulted in a reversal of direction from a 'left spin' to a very steep and rapid spiral dive to the right. Due to the nature of the rotation, the pilot had not been able to identify the direction.

Circumstances:

An approaching front was causing the wind to swing from a 45 degree headwind/crosswind to a 45 degree tailwind/crosswind from the left. Although the pilot reported that he considered that the conditions were not suitable, he decided to attempt a take-off as he felt there was a pressing need to carry out a survey of his property. Just prior to lift off, the aircraft veered to the left and the nosewheel entered a soft area at the side of the strip. The nosewheel broke off and the aircraft cartwheeled across the paddock. The pilot had completed a rotorcraft pilot's course, consisting of 10 hours of instruction, and the first 10 hours of post course consolidation. However, the pilot had very little experience at operating a rotorcraft in fluctuating crosswind conditions. The loss of control was probably the result of a sudden wind change during the latter part of the take-off roll and pilot inexperience.

The balloon was participating in the Bi-Centennial Trans Australia Challenge. The pilot, the current French National Champion, was making only his second flight in Australian conditions. The injured crew member had positioned for landing with his legs behind the pilot. Witnesses reported that the balloon made a very positive landing from about 20 feet with the envelope well deflated on ground contact. The ensuing heavy landing caused the pilot to drop across the co-pilot's legs, breaking that crew member's left ankle. The pilot stated that he was conscious of a powerline in his landing path and that he made a steep approach to minimise the ground drag. The landing paddock, however, was large and flat and did not warrant such a steep approach for landing. It is considered probable that the pilot reverted to his technique for confined space landings which are usual in Europe and did not correctly assess the approach required for the unfamiliar terrain.

Circumstances:

The pilot took off to the west and climbed straight ahead for approximately one kilometre. At about 150 feet above the ground the complete main rotor assembly suddenly separated from the gyroplane. The gyroplane then plummeted to the ground. The main rotor assembly struck the ground about 15 metres short of the main impact site. Wreckage examination disclosed that the lower teeter stop plate was bent on both ends, probably prior to the accident. The bent teeter stops allowed the main rotor blades to flap down beyond normal limits. All teeter stops had pronounced marks indicating repetitive contact. While the main rotor was spinning, one of the blade grips and one of its blade attachment bolts contacted the prerotator horn causing overload failure of the torque tube at the hole for the main rotor assembly attachment bolt. An imprint on one side of the torque tube indicated that full aft control stick had been applied at the time the torque tube began to fail. None of the witnesses saw the gyroplane proposing or performing unusual manoeuvres before rotor separation.

Significant Factors:

The following factors were considered relevant to the development of the accident:

1. The spinning main rotor contacted the prerotator horn because bent teeter stops allowed flapping of the main rotor blades beyond safe limits.

2. The torque tube suffered overload failure.

The aircraft departed the airfield in calm conditions and flew to a point about 35 kilometres to the south-east. On his return the pilot positioned the aircraft to land on runway 09. The aircraft was struck by a strong wind gust which lifted the right wing and caused the aircraft to veer to the left. The pilot was unable to regain directional control before the aircraft collided with a boundary fence. The wind was reported to be variable in direction at five to ten knots. This accident was not the subject of a formal on-scene investigation.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that the wing tip caught in long grass at the end of the landing roll. As a result, the glider was swung around causing damage to the fuselage.