The Merredln Shire landing field Is 4.5 miles south east of Merredln and, after arrival In the area, the pilot decided to select a landing field closer to the town since arrangements for transport after landing had not been made. He selected for examination a field 1.5 miles north of the town, oriented approximately north and south. After flying at 700 feet above terrain Immediately to the east of the field on a northerly heading, the pilot carried out a descending turn to port with the intention of examining the surface from a low altitude. He levelled out on a southerly heading at a height of about 20 feet and almost Immediately the aircraft ran through three cables of a power line. There was a bright flash of electrical discharge from the port wing, the wlndscreen disintegrated, one high tension wire was caught In the aircraft fin and all three wires were torn from the two nearest poles which were 900 feet apart. The aircraft moved to the left of Its Intended flight path and travelled approximately 550 feet before contacting the ground with the port wing and engine. It then cartwheeled horizontally on to the starboard wing coming to rest facing 180 degrees from the direction of its final approach to the landing area.

Due to deteriorating weather conditions ahead the pilot decided to make a precautionary landing In a paddock. He made an Inspection of a paddock which appeared suitable. On touching down the aircraft bounced and floated for a considerable distance before finally touching down. The aircraft was then allowed to roll for some 400 feet without braking and the pilot then noticed a 2 inch diameter water pipe crossing the surface of the paddock. He applied firm braking but, possibly due to the damp grass surface, the brakes were not as effective as expected and the aircraft skidded for a further 220 feet. The aircraft had almost stopped when the main wheels rolled over the water pipe without damage, but the starboard wheel then dropped into a depression in the ground covered by long grass. The starboard undercarriage collapsed and damage was also caused to the starboard mainplane, flaps and one propeller blade.

The pilot intended to carry out a period of circuit and landing practice and had made one circuit and landing which was satisfactory. On the second circuit he made an approach with full flap and appeared to make a normal landing but after rolling about 300 feet the aircraft commenced to swing to the right. The pilot took corrective action using left brake and rudder and the aircraft then ran straight for a short distance. However, after a further 320 feet a second swing to the right became pronounced and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. After turning approximately 130 degrees to the right, and when almost at rest, the aircraft tipped up on to the port wing and tailplane and then settled back on to the wheels.

The aircraft departed Carnarvon at 1658 WST with an estimated time interval of 67 minutes to Wanna Station and a total endurance of 220 minutes. Last light at Carnarvon was 1807 WST and the pilot based his flight plan on that time which gave a margin of two minutes from estimated time of arrival to last light. Last light at Wanna, which is some 168 miles east north east of Carnarvon was in fact 1801 WST, four minutes before the estimated arrival time. Actual arrival over Wanna was made at 1807 WST and after twice overflying the area, the pilot made an approach to the airstrip, which was without lighting. The aircraft landing lights were used, but the pilot overshot the threshold of the strip and touch down was not effected until within 730 feet of the far end of the 3,500 feet long landing area. The pilot was unable to stop the aircraft in the available length remaining and, when the end of the strip was reached, the aircraft collided with a tree.

During the first circuit of the training period the pilot completed the turn onto base leg of the circuit at about 800-1000 feet and then selected what he believed was the carburettor heat control. He then closed the throttle to make a gliding approach with 8° of flap lowered. At a height of 150 to 100 feet when slightly undershooting the pilot opened the throttle but the engine failed to respond. He then closed and opened the throttle again without result and he checked that the fuel and fuel pump were both selected "ON". Before he could check the carburettor heat, the cabin heat and the mixture controls, all of which are similar in appearance and operation, he was obliged to concentrate on the imminent landing in a paddock short of the strip. The aircraft touched down, bounced over a shallow ditch and then struck a fence and trees. Although the aircraft was substantially damaged, the engine was not damaged and a subsequent examination of it revealed no defect. Ambient conditions were conducive to carburettor icing.

The flight from Esperance to Jandakot was uneventful. At Jandakot the pilot made an approach to runway 24 using 40 degrees of flap and crossed the runway threshold at 65 knots. He commenced to level off and had closed the throttle when the nose wheel contacted the runway heavily before the main wheels. The aircraft was allowed to bounce several times to a maximum height of four feet, before the pilot applied engine power to regain control and he then completed the landing. When the aircraft was examined on the tarmac, the propeller, nosewheel assembly and engine mount were found to be damaged.

In the traffic circuit at Rottnest Island the landing gear was lowered but cockpit indicators showed the starboard undercarriage to be unlocked. The aircraft returned to Perth where an aerial inspection from another aircraft showed that, when cycling the landing gear, the port and nose undercarriages retracted and extended but the starboard undercarriage remained stationary almost fully extended but not locked down. Operation of the emergency, manual landing gear extension system was ineffective in locking down the starboard undercarriage. The aircraft was landed at Perth Airport with 15 of flap extended. The aircraft was gently braked and engines closed down. As the aircraft stopped,the starboard undercarriage collapsed and the aircraft subsided on to the starboard wing tip, flaps and one blade of the starboard propeller.

A farmer requested that a pre-notified weed spraying operation be carried out urgently. The pilot briefed the markers on the swathe width only and gave them a sketch map of the area to be sprayed. When airborne, the pilot found that the markers had taken up position in the wrong paddock. The aircraft was landed back at Farm Hill and instructions given to re-direct the markers. Arriving back at the spraying site the pilot saw one marker in position and commenced his spray run over him. At the other end of the field the farmer, who was an experienced marker, left his utility truck at the end of the paddock and stood in front of it to mark for the runs. As the aircraft, flying with its wheels about 18 inches above the ground approached, the farmer moved rapidly to the right of the flight path. The aircraft continued straight ahead and as it commenced to climb at the end of the run its starboard wheel struck the door of the vehicle. The wheel rim, tyre and tube were dislodged and later, while landing at Kununurra aerodrome, the starboard undercarriage collapsed and further damage occurred.

At approximately 1257 hours GST on 22nd December, 1969, a Cessna 402 aircraft, registered VH-WLC, crashed and caught fire when it struck trees shortly after taking off from Gove, Northern Territory. The pilot, and three passengers, were killed in the accident. A fourth passenger, survived the impact but died soon after he was rescued on 24th December, 1969.

The aircraft, flown by an employee of the operating company with another employee as passenger, was returning to Kingston S. E. from a strip 23 miles to the south east. The weather was cool and clear with a light south easterly breeze. At approximately 0600 hours GST a small single engined aircraft was observed flying very low towards Kingston about three miles west of the direct track from the departure point and at about 1-| miles east of "Binowie" the property on which the accident occurred. The occupants of "Binowie" Homestead, to whom the pilot was well known, heard an aircraft approach from an easterly direction and fly at a low altitude almost directly overhead. Shortly afterwards smoke was noticed and the crashed burning aircraft was seen 300 yards to the south west of the house. The pilot was found lying clear of the aircraft but the passenger was in the burning wreckage. There is evidence that the aircraft struck the ground in a slightly nose down left wing down attitude at a low forward speed and with a very high rate of descent. The heading of the afrcraft was 055 degrees magnetic which, together with the location of the accident, suggests that after flying over the homestead, the aircraft had turned back towards the house. Examination of the wreckage and a strip inspection of the engine did not indicate any condition or malfunction which might have contributed to the accident. The pilot has stated that he has no clear recollection of the latter stages of the flight.