On 26 April, 1972, a Bell 47 G3B1 helicopter registered VH-FJO disappeared while on a flight in the Gordonvale, Queensland, area and no trace has been found of the aircraft or its occupants.

The aircraft departed from Cairns at 0929 hours and at 0953 hours the pilot notified Cairns Tower that he was unable to climb above 6,000 feet. He inquired if there were any breaks in the cloud in the Cairns aerodrome area which would allow him to return and climb to 10,000 feet. The Tower Controller notified the pilot that the sky was completely overcast and the pilot requested a clearance to return on descent to Cairns. The tower controller issued a clearance for the aircraft to make a visual approach with an instruction to report approaching the city. At 0954 hours the pilot acknowledged receipt of the clearance by saying the aircraft's call sign. No further communications were received and the aircraft did not arrive at Cairns. At 1022 hours, after numerous efforts to establish contact with the aircraft had been unsuccessful, Cairns Tower declared the Uncertainty Phase of Search and Rescue Procedures. At 1030 hours, after further efforts to contact the aircraft, the Alert Phase was declared. The Distress Phase was declared by Townsville Operational Control Centre at 1101 hours and search action was initiated. The first search aircraft departed Cairns at 1214 hours and during the succeeding days civil and military aircraft flew 74 sorties involving a total of 150 hours 45 minutes. The air search was supplemented by extensive ground searching. The search continued until 1700 hours on 18 May, 1972.

At Bankstown, the pilot submitted a flight plan which indicated that the aircraft would cruise at 5,500 feet to Port Macquarie and then at 6,500 feet to Archerfield. Fuel consumption was shown as 8 gallons per hour and fuel on board the aircraft as 40 gallons. The time required for the flight was 237 minutes but, through a miscalculation, this was shown as 227 minutes. The pilot's normal operating procedure was to lean the fuel mixture only while cruising above 5,000 feet. After departure the pilot elected to cruise at altitudes between 2,300 and 3,000 feet and the mixture control remained selected to Rich. At Grafton, because of the weather ahead, the pilot diverted to a coastal route and this was expected to add seven minutes to the flight time. Whilst on descent to Archerfield, after some 242 minutes of flight, the fuel pressure indication dropped to zero and the engine lost all power. The pilot was unable to restore engine power so he advised Archerfield Tower of his predicament and decided to attempt a forced landing on the airport. About one mile from Archerfield, it became obvious to the pilot that he would not reach the landing area. He attempted to turn the aircraft sharply to the right for a landing on a suburban street, but whilst in the turn the port wing of the aircraft struck and severed power lines adjacent to the street. The aircraft then plunged to the ground, right wing first, and came to rest, severely damaged against a timber house. Examination of the aircraft revealed no evidence of pre-impact malfunction. Records of past flights with this aircraft and fuel consumption tests conducted subsequently indicated that by operating at the relevant power setting with the mixture correctly leaned a fuel consumption consistent with that appearing on the flight plan could be realised. When the engine was operated with the mixture in full RICH the fuel consumption was significantly higher and the engine failure had occurred after a flight time compatible with fuel usage at this higher rate. At the accident site, despite both fuel tanks having been punctured, there was no evidence of any significant quantity of fuel having been spilt. There was attached to the instrument panel an ambiguous placard of undetermined origin for converting the fuel contents indication to imperial gallons.

At approximately 0045 hours on 22 January, 1972 a Bell 206A helicopter registered VH-FOY crashed into the sea approximately 2700 feet south-east of Heron Island.

It is probable the pilot's past experience in air-sea rescue operations; tlte recent boating fatality in local waters and concern for the safety of other persons were significant factors which motivated the pilot in his decision to undertake the flight. He was placed in an unenviable situation but it was a most hazardous operation and should not have been attempted. In circumstances of virtually no night or instrument flying practice for five years, total darkness depriving him of visual reference and his ability impaired by alcohol, the pilot, irrespective of any altimeter setting error, would not have been able to maintain safe flight on instruments alone whilst conducting a low level search over the sea.

The aircraft departed Brickhouse Station airstrip 8 miles north-east of Carnarvon to rendezvous with five stockmen in vehicles at a well on the property. Burt, who was an experienced aerial mustering pilot, occupied the right seat and Boddington, whose flying experience was limited and who was not qualified to perform aerial mustering, occupied the left seat. It is hot known which pilot was In command but it is probable that Boddington was manipulating the controls. After air-to-ground radio communication was established, the mustering operation commenced with the ground party making its way south-west through the scrub and the aircraft flying low overhead and diving to indicate any cattle sighted. After about an hour, during which the operation proceeded without incident, one of the stockmen noticed the aircraft approach his position in a shallow dive from the north. When it was overhead, the aircraft turned towards the south-east. The stockman took this to indicate that he was positioned correctly. A few seconds later his attention was again drawn to the aircraft by a change in the sound of the engine. He looked to the east and saw the aircraft about 1/4 mile away in a steep dive only 50 feet above the ground. The aircraft did not recover from the dive and subsequent examination of the wreckage showed that the angle at impact had been almost vertical. It has not been possible to determine the cause of the accident from the available evidence but a likely explanation is that the pilot lost control of the aircraft while manoeuvring at low level.

The aircraft took off from Shay Gap under a very low overcast with the intention of proceeding to Nullagine som 85 miles to the south. The low cloud persisted throughout the route and the tops of hills in the area, at a general level of about 750 feet above mean sea level, were enveloped in cloud and mist. Before taking off from Shay Gap the pilot called the Flight Service Unit at Port Hedland by radio and requested the winds forecast for the local area. Port Hedland did not respond but the aircraft calls were acknowledged by Derby Flight Service Unit. The pilot advised Derby when the aircraft departed Shay Gap at 0637 hours WST and he again requested the forecast winds for the area in which he was operating. The wreckage of the aircraft was found by a searching aircraft at 0800 hours on the following morning. The aircraft had struck the ground at a height of approximately 780 feet above sea level near the crest of a ridge, apparently whilst in substantially level flight and under control. The accident site was some 23 miles south of Shay Gap on the direct track to Nullagine. The aircraft had been on a southerly heading and probably at normal cruising speed at the time of the initial impact with the ground.

There is no record of any communication with the aircraft after it left Connewarre and it did not reach Wagga Wagga. The disappearance of the aircraft was not reported until 31 May, 1971 after relatives of those on board had become concerned that the aircraft had not returned. An intensive air search lasting more than 7 days and hampered by the weather, failed to locate the aircraft. On 12 December, 1971 the wreckage of the aircraft was found, by a private searching aircraft, in heavily timbered country near Mount Buller, at an altitude of 4,400 feet. The accident site was approximately 20 miles to the east of the planned track. The aircraft had struck the trees, tearing off the outer panel of the starboard wing and had then crashed steeply through the timber, coming to rest on a heading of 184 degrees magnetic. The nature of the damage to the starboard wing suggests that the aircraft was not out of control when it struck the trees. The engine and propeller damage was consistent with a low power output at impact with the ground, the ignition switches were "On", mixture control set to "Full Rich", the carburettor heat was set to "Cold" and the fuel selector was on "Both". The aircraft fuel tanks, although damaged were found to contain a quantity of fuel.

The pilot obtained a meteorological forecast which indicated that conditions generally would be suitable for visual flight, but that until 0900 hours there would be areas of drizzle and reduced visibility. He submitted a flight plan which indicated that his route to Warrnambool would be via Sorrento and Colac. The flight proceeded normally to 1,500 feet or about 10 miles west of Torquay, where the aircraft encountered an area of low cloud and drizzle. The pilot descended to remain clear of cloud and when the aircraft had reached the vicinity of the Wurdee Boluc Reservoir he was compelled to fly at an extremely low level to maintain visual contact with the ground. He circled in this area, unable to proceed or to turn back because of the low cloud and reduced visibility in all directions. While flying along the southern edge of the reservoir he observed a line of tall pine trees looming ahead and to avoid them he made a left hand turn over the reservoir. During the turn the port wing tip contacted the surface and the aircraft cartwheeled into the water. There were no witnesses to the accident and one of the four surviving occupants swam a considerable distance to the shore for assistance whilst the other three surviving persons remained standing on the aircraft wreckage which had settled in some 10 feet of water. The fourth passenger had released his seat belt during the flight and was apparently thrown from the aircraft on impact with the water.

It had been pointed out to the pilot, by another pilot on a previous flight, that the undercarriage retraction cycle was slow and he resolved to have this checked on the approaching 100 hourly inspection. The purpose of this flight was to position the aircraft for this inspection. After a normal flight from Adelaide the pilot selected undercarriage "Down" on a practice ILS approach to Essendon and noticed that cockpit indications for the port undercarriage continued to show "Up". He advised the Tower of the problem and on a subsequent pass over the Tower, ground observers confirmed that the port wheel was still retracted. Since he had plenty of fuel on board, the pilot spent about an hour attempting to lower the undercarriage, using the normal and emergency lowering methods. All systems operated normally, except for the port gear, which remained retracted. Acting upon instructions from engineers on the ground, the passenger removed a panel from the hydraulic system and tapped the port gear jack with the rubber end of a crash axe, but to no avail. The pilot decided to make a wheels up landing on the grass parallel to runway 08, and outside the northern boundary of the flight strip. Although the aircraft landed smoothly the under side of the fuselage was considerably damaged. Subsequent examination of the port undercarriage jack showed that the piston 'O' ring was badly chipped, but the reason for this could not be established. A fragment from the chipped 'O' ring had blocked the orifice of the jack brake valve, preventing operation'of the jack to lower the port gear. The unit containing the defective 'O' ring was required to be overhauled at periods not in excess of 4 years, but examination of the aircraft servicing records showed that it had not been overhauled since 14.2.1967.

At approximately 0912 hours Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 18 July, 1971, the Boeing 747 aircraft, registered N652PA, overran the end of Runway 25 and became bogged in soft earth whilst landing at Sydney (Kingsford- Smith) Airport, New South Wales. The aircraft was engaged in operating Pan American Airways Flight 811, a regular public transport service from Los Angeles to Sydney with intermediate stops at Honolulu and Nadi. The aircraft sustained no damage and none of the 15 crew members or 269 passengers on board was injured.

The area to be seeded was a flooded rice paddy, rectangular in shape and approximately 1650 feet east/west by 800 feet north/south, with the western bank 95 feet to the east of a river. There was an extensive area of dense timber, generally about 70 feet in height, on the western side of the river and a line of trees along the eastern bank. After making an aerial inspection of the area the pilot arranged for the two men who were to act as markers to take up positions on the banks of the paddy in preparation for easterly and westerly seeding runs commencing along the southern side. The aircraft commenced a steep descent, with the wings level, consistent with an approach for a seeding run to the east. A few seconds later, when about 250 feet short of the rice paddy, the aircraft struck the sparsely foliated upper branches of a tree which extended about 20 feet above the other trees in the vicinity and the starboard elevator was torn off. With no apparent power reduction, and little change of direction, the aircraft rolled steeply to the left, descended and, after travelling a further 150 feet, struck another tree on the eastern side of the river. The wings and empennage were torn off and the fuselage fell through the tree to the ground and burst into flames.