At 1215 on 27 October 1982, the fishing vessel Bongaree cleared Mooloolaba, (Qld) breakwater & set a course of 075° True at 8 knots, headed for the 100 fathom line. Shortly after 1230, a large vessel was seen to the south, which the Skipper assumed, from its heading, would pass astern. The skipper then handed over the watch to the deckhand, who busied himself tryinh to get a picture on the new TV set.

The Russian container ship Konstantin Paustovskiy disembarked its Brisbane pilot off Caloundra Head at 1232 & set a course, in autopilot, of 040°. A small boat was sighted at a distance of 2.4 miles, 15° on the port bow, which appeared to be proceeding on a parallel course. The relative bearing of the small boat increased slowly, but then, when a distance of about half a mile, the boat appeared to increase spped & alter course across the bow. The two vessels collided at approximately 1300 & the fishing vessel's hull being breached, as a result of which it sank. The container ship turned about & prepared to launch a lifeboat, but the skipper & deckhand were rescued by the Brisbane pilot vessel.

Conclusions

The Watch Officer aboard Konstantin Paustovskiy did not fully assess the situation & did not take timely action to avoid a close quarters situation.

A lookout was not maintained aboard Bongaree.

The engine had lost power because of fuel exhaustion after a total elapsed flight time of 3 1/2 hours. It is probable that while manoeuvring for a precautionary landing the engine failed from fuel exhaustion at a point where the pilot was unable to recover control of the aircraft before it impacted the ground.

At 0500 on 18 September 1982, the offshore supply vessel Lady Ann was manoeuvring close alongside the drilling ship Regional Endeavour, off the Exmouth Gulf, WA, in order to transfer a mooring wire. Regional Endeavour was also under way, making good a speed of about 21/2 knots.

Suddenly, Lady Ann sheered towards Regional Endeavour and, despite the efforts of the Master, came in contact with the drilling ship. As a result, Lady Ann received a 60mm gash in the shell plating, below the engine room floor plates.

The Master decide to try and beach the vessel near to Exmouth, but the pumps were unable to cope with the inflow of water so, at 0630, the crew was taken off by Lady Sally.

Lady Ann sank at 0925.

Detailed examination of the burnt-out wreckage disclosed no evidence of any defect or malfunction which might have contributed to the accident. A loss of tail rotor effectiveness occurred for reasons which have not been determined.

The pilot was a member of the RAAF Richmond Gliding Club and was attending a camp, held annually by the club at various locations in western New South Wales, to gain experience at cross-country gliding.

Examination found no evidence of mechanical defect or malfunction which might have contributed to the accident. There was no evidence of pilot incapacitation.

The pilot was returning from a flight to '4 Mile', a property some 20 km southwest of Giru, to the strip on his father's property, adjacent to Pink Lily Lagoon, where the aircraft was normally based.

Examination of the wreckage found no evidence of pre-existing defect or malfunction. The engine was not producing high power at the time of impact but no reason was found why it should not have been capable of normal operation. There was no fire.

VH-IQY was working, in conjunction with a number of stockmen on horses or motorcycles, to muster cattle some 20 km northwest of the station homestead. At about 1040 hours, the aircraft made a number of steep dives to tree-level, apparently to move cattle adjacent to a creek. After the last dive, it was observed to pullup to an estimated height of 400 feet, then stall and dive to the ground.

At approximately 1342 hours on 29 November 1978, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 aircraft, registered VH-TJP, landed 192 metres short of the threshold of Runway 27 at Melbourne Airport, Victoria. The aircraft was conducting an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to Runway 27 in conditions of reduced visibility caused by heavy rain. During the ground roll to the threshold, the main landing gear of the aircraft struck and destroyed six lights in the high intensity approach lighting system serving the runway. The aircraft was operating a regular public transport flight and there were ninety-one passengers and a crew of six on board. No one was injured and the damage sustained by the aircraft was minor.

At 1201 hours Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 5 January 1982, shortly after taking off from Runway 10 Left at Archerfield Airport, Cessna 411A aircraft, registered VH-AYE, crashed into an annex attached to a Thiess Contractors workshop located in Kerry Road, Archerfield. The accident site was 455 metres east-north-east from the departure end of the runway. The pilot and four workmen taking their lunch break in the annex were killed. The aircraft and the annex were destroyed by impact forces and the following explosion and fire.

At approximately 1853:30 hours EST on 10 July, 1978, Partenavia P68B aircraft registered VH-PNW, with a crew of two and one passenger aboard, became airborne from Runway 26 at Essendon Airport, Victoria, and climbed to a height of 200 to 250 feet. Co-incident with the raising of the wing flaps from the take-off position and a simulated failure of one engine, the aircraft assumed a nosedown attitude and continued straight ahead on a descending flight path. The aircraft crashed into houses 286 metres beyond the western end of the runway. Six persons on the ground were killed, and one person received minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed and the three occupants were seriously injured.