The pilot had been ridge-flying not far from the glider field, along a range of hills oriented north/south. The coastline was located just west of the range of hills, and a north-westerly wind was providing good lift along the ridge. When a sea breeze developed, the wind changed to a south-easterly and the pilot was unable to maintain altitude or reach the glider field. During the subsequent outlanding the glider sustained damage when the pilot induced a ground loop to avoid striking a fence.

The pilot reported that after commencing the takeoff run, when he applied forward pressure on the control column to raise the tail, the tail rose more rapidly than normal. He was unable to correct the situation and the propeller struck the ground several times before the aircraft overturned. It was likely that the takeoff had been commenced in light tailwind conditions. The aircraft had travelled a distance of 22 metres from the start of the takeoff roll to the point where the propeller initially struck the ground. The pilot had only limited experience on the aircraft type. It was possible that he had applied excessive forward movement of the control column, or that he had moved the column too rapidly.

After establishing the aircraft on final approach the pilot reported that he increased the airspeed and deployed full airbrake to practise the actions required to correct a gross overshoot situation. A high rate of descent was established but the pilot misjudged the landing flare and the aircraft landed heavily collapsing the mainwheel and cracking the fuselage.

The aircraft had launched a glider from Tocumwal and was proceeding to Jerilderie Aerodrome to pick up another glider that had outlanded there. Enroute the tow cable was dropped at a strip and the aircraft landed to retrieve the cable which was placed in the back of the aircraft. The aircraft then departed the strip and was flown at low level towards Jerilderie. It subsequently struck two powerlines and dived into the ground, impacting 27 metres beyond the powerlines. The aircraft overturned before coming to rest 34 metres beyond the initial point of ground impact. The passenger was assisted from the wreckage by a passing motorist, however, before the pilot could be evacuated the wreckage burst into flames and further assistance was rendered impossible.

Circumstances:

The aircraft was engaged in spreading fertiliser over a cotton crop, during which it was refuelled to "almost full" with MOGAS from a bulk tank. More flights were made until, after flying for about 110 minutes, the engine lost power shortly after take-off, at a height of about 100 feet. The loss of power was accompanied by a loss of fuel pressure. Attempts to restore fuel pressure using the hand pump were unsuccessful and the aircraft was landed in a wooded area beyond the end of the strip end. The engine, landing gear and fuel drains were torn out during the landing. The pilot suspected the engine had suffered fuel starvation due to contamination found in the bulk tank, which had not been used for the previous three months. No fuel remained on board after the accident as a result of fuel drain damage. The fuel filters were later found to be free of any significant contamination.

The balloon was carrying out local sight-seeing flights. The pilot reported that he departed Trundle at about 0700 hours with four passengers. After about 30 minutes, the balloon was landed near a road where the passengers disembarked and another four persons boarded the balloon. During the second flight the pilot decided to land in a paddock when he observed an increase in the surface wind. As the balloon approached for a landing, the basket struck trees near the boundary of the paddock and two of the passengers sustained injuries. The pilot stated that during the approach he was unable to control a sudden increase in sink which he claimed was a result of wind turbulence.

The pilot stated that at about 70 feet agl on climb after take-off, the aircraft encountered turbulence. As he was applying left aileron to counter the turbulence, the engine suddenly stopped. The pilot checked the position of the fuel selector and turned the aircraft towards a cleared area. The aircraft was landed in a timbered area about 550 metres beyond the end of the strip. When the aircraft came to a stop the pilot noticed that the ignition switch was in the off position. The pilot was wearing a loose sleeved pullover during the flight and it is thought that whilst countering turbulence the cuff caught the ignition switch and pulled it to the off position.

As the pilot was manoeuvring the aircraft prior to parking, the right wing tip area struck a steel fence corner-post. The post was bent and several strands of barbed wire were broken, as the wing rode over the post. The pilot was unaware that the aircraft had struck the post, and the damage to the aircraft was not reported until the following day.

The pilot had ferried the aircraft to the strip in order to carry out aerial top-dressing operations. At the conclusion of the seventh load for the day, the pilot calculated that he had sufficient fuel to carry out a further short flight prior to refuelling. During this flight, the engine stopped suddenly and the pilot attempted to glide clear of the flooded paddock. The aircraft subsequently stalled and struck an embankment between the end of the crop and a road on which the pilot was attempting to land. Initial inspection revealed that there was virtually no fuel remaining in the tank. No fault was subsequently found with the engine and systems of the aircraft. The pilot had been checking the fuel quantity remaining by reference to the cockpit gauges. Although the engine had apparently failed from fuel exhaustion, the gauges were still indicating that fuel remained in the tanks when the aircraft came to rest.

At a height of about 150 feet after a normal take-off, the aircraft commenced to roll slowly to the right. Corrective control inputs appeared to the pilot to have little or no effect and the aircraft continued to roll, with accompanying nose drop and yaw. The right wing tip struck the ground, followed by the landing gear. The gear was torn off and the aircraft overturned, coming to rest across a drainage ditch. No fault was subsequently found with the aircraft which might have contributed to the loss of control. There was no evidence of wind shear or any other atmospheric disturbance. The pilot reported that the engine power, attitude and airspeed had been such that a normal climb should have been achieved. The reason for the accident has not been determined.