The pilot began his take-off run from a paddock which he had inspected some days earlier. He abandoned the take-off when the nosewheel struck a lime stone block at a point 75 yards along the take-off path and covered by a smooth mound of earth. The pilot then inspected the nosewheel assembly and engine cowlings but did not detect any damage. In fact, the impact had bent the nosewheel rim and trim and had pushed the nosewheel struts slightly rearward distorting the fire-wall and wrinkling the underside of the fuselage. The fuselage distortion displaced the elevator control cable pulleys which resulted in slackening of the elevator cables. As the pilot had detected no damage he then restarted the aircraft, and completed a pre take-off cockpit check, but did not check the flying controls. He took off and climbed to 1,500 feet where, on levelling out, he became aware of abnormal free play in the elevator controls. Without delay he made a safe landing in another paddock. The free play in the elevator controls was found to be 1 1/2 inches at the pilot controls and 5 1/2 inches at the elevator trailing edge.

For the last stage of a flight from Perth to Adelaide, the pilot flight planned for flight from Ceduna to Parafield using night VMC procedures. The area forecasts indicated that the en route weather would include some areas of cloud at a height which would preclude flight at the minimum safe altitude defined by the night VMC requirements. Some rain showers and drizzle were also expected. The pilot nevertheless elected to depart Ceduna at 1805 hours CST for a flight via Cowell and Ardrossan, and encountered last light at approximately 1839 hours Radio communication was established with Ceduna and Adelaide but propagation conditions deteriorated and effective contact with the aircraft was not made after 1852 hours. Witnesses located in areas to the north west of Cleve saw the lights of, and heard an aircraft after 1910 hours. The aircraft was observed on various headings and, at 2025 hours the lights of the aircraft were seen, very low and heading towards the higher ground of the accident site where drizzling rain was falling. The impact of the aircraft with the ground was heard and local residents quickly located the wreckage. The aircraft had flown into the ground in essentially level flight just below the top of a sandy ridge some 950 feet above sea level.

After taxiing towards the south western end of the strip which is 4,000 feet long, the pilot decided he would take off into the south west in light wind conditions. He turned and then taxied to the north eastern end of the strip and after making a fast turn through 180 degrees to avoid a soft boggy area, he commenced take off from a rolling start. The pilot employed a short field take off technique and the aircraft became airborne at approximately 65 knots after a ground roll of some 900 feet. As the speed was approaching 80 knots the pilot selected the landing gear "UP" and almost simultaneously the port engine lost power. The safe speed for take off is 90 knots. The pilot corrected the initial swing to the left which the aircraft developed but he was unable to maintain directional and lateral control and the aircraft struck a sand hill some 2,700 feet from the point where take off commenced and 400 feet to the left of the strip.

The pilot had landed on the old Eyre Highway, on the south east side of and close to Wirrulla but, for take off, he decided to use a better section of the road about one half mile further to the east. Whilst taxying along the road to the take off position, in a ten knot crosswind, the pilot lost directional control of the aircraft, on a slippery muddy section and the starboard wing struck a small mallee tree on the southern verge of the road. The aircraft slewed clockwise through 180 degrees in the course of which the nosewheel and propeller dug into the earth bank at the road verge, followed in succession by the port mainwheel, port mainplane and port elevator and tailplane, all of which were substantially damaged.

At approximately 1419 hours CST on 6th July, 1969, a Piper PA32-300 aircraft, registered VH-PPV, and a Victa 100 aircraft, registered VH-BWT, collided in the air at a height at about 200 feet over the western end of strip 26 at Parafield Airport, South Australia. VH-PPV, which sustained no damage, continued in flight and landed safely at Parafield. VH-BWT which was substantially damaged remained in flight and also landed safely at Parafield. None of the seven occupants of VH-PPV and two occupants of VH-BWT was injured. After taking off VH-BWT climbed directly ahead and VH-PPV, which was already airborne, also commenced to climb but on a slightly convergent path, at a higher airspeed and with a lower rate of climb. The field of vision of the pilot of VH-PPV was such that VH-BWT should have been visible to him throughout the take-off and climb of both aircraft, but at a height of about 200 feet, over the western end of the strip, the pilot of VH-PPV saw VH-BWT apparently drifting across his path from left to right and slightly above him. He attempted to take evasive action, but the propeller of VH-PPV struck the starboard wing of VH-BWT and almost completely destroyed the aileron. Both aircraft remained in flight and were landed safely at Parafield.

The pilot was making his first flight in an ES60 Glider but had previously flown the KA6 type glider which has similar characteristics. On the day of the accident he completed two dual check flights in a Blanik glider and was then given a comprehensive briefing on the ES60. Shortly after taking off in the ES60, the pilot assumed the normal low tow position behind the tug aircraft until reaching some 500 feet below the planned release height of 2, 500 feet. At this point release occurred without the glider having taken up the normal line astern release position and subsequently a turn was made to the left, toward the aerodrome instead of to the right as is normal procedure. The glider then rapidly accelerated to a high speed in a very steep dive with the wings level and then recovered momentarily to level flight before entering a similar but steeper and faster dive. When the glider was below recovery height, the port wing separated from the fuselage which disintegrated on impact with the ground. No evidence was found of any structural defect or malfunction of the controls prior to the wing failure, nor were the weather conditions considered to be significant. The pilot had been adequately briefed on the use of dive brakes to limit the diving speed but the evidence is that they were not used. The pilot's medical history and a post-mortem examination provided no reason to suspect incapacitation.

The day prior to the accident the pilot, who was inexperienced in remote area navigation, flew the aircraft from Parafield to Ayers Rock where he and the passengers remained overnight. In the morning the aircraft was flown to Curtln Springs and refuelled. The pilot was unable to obtain the area weather forecast because of poor radio communication conditions. In clear weather he flew at 3000 feet and he established his position over the Hermansburg Mission aerodrome, some 30 miles to port of the planned track. Still being unable to obtain satisfactory two-way radio communication with Alice Springs he diverted to the south-east to avoid controlled airspace with the Intention of requesting a clearance when he Intercepted the Adelaide to Alice Springs road. Shortly afterwards he became disorientated and doubted his earlier navigational fix. Despite substantial fuel reserves and without judicious consideration of other alternatives he made a hurried decision to land on a road and ascertain his position. During the latter part of the approach the unsultabillty of the selected area became apparent, but the pilot persisted with the landing. After touching down the aircraft struck trees on the side of the road and finally came to rest off the right hand side of the road facing in the opposite direction to the landing run.

The pilot was trained on the Hughes 200 Model 269A and was issued with a commercial licence (Helicopters) on the 15th December, two days before the accident. The licence endorsement for the Hughes 269 covers both the Model 269A and 269B. Before flying the Model 269B solo, the pilot was accompanied on a local flight for about one hour by the owner of the helicopter. The aircraft was then flown solo by the pilot from Waratah to Strahan where the passenger was picked up. He then flew to Low Rocky Point, in good weather conditions, arriving to observe a wind of about 10 knots from the south. The helipad was a cleared area surrounded by 4 feet high scrub. Approaching to the hover on the northern end of the pad the aircraft began to roll to the right. The pilot stated he attempted to correct the roll with left-cyclic control and initially with some collective, but the aircraft continued to roll to the right even with full left cyclic control. The collective was lowered but the main rotor blades struck the scrub on the right of the aircraft, and the aircraft came to rest on its right hand side.

The pilot lodged a flight plan at Parafield for a return flight to Ceduna and the aircraft departed shortly after first light. It was raining on arrival Ceduna and the weather conditions further deteriorated during the day to frequent periods of light to moderate drizzle and rain from overcast middle level cloud and the development of low stratus cloud. The pilot decided to return to Parafield, as planned, after being briefed that the weather conditions at Ceduna were marginal for flight under Visual Flight Rules and that similar conditions could be expected along the route.

The aircraft had been delivered to the operator on 20 November, 1969 and a demonstration of its acrobatic capability was given at that time by the delivery pilot.

During the two ensuing days the aircraft was mainly flown for demonstration purposes by the pilot concerned in the accident. The pilot was endorsed on the aircraft type but there is evidence that he was inexperienced in acrobatic flight.

The weather was fine with a wind of 5 knots, a little cloud at 4,000 feet and good visibility when the aircraft took off on its last flight. After takeoff the aircraft climbed steeply and then completed a circuit of the aerodrome before making a fast, low approach at high power. This run was made along the general alignment of the runway towards the south east at a height of some 20 to 30 feet above the ground.

When two thirds of the way along the runway, the aircraft entered a very steep climb to a height of approximately 200 feet. At the top of this climb, the aircraft made a stall turn type of manoeuvre to the left, which resulted In the aircraft entering an almost vertical dive on a reciprocal heading to the approach. The pitch attitude of the aircraft progressively changed during the dive, but the height available was Insufficient for complete recovery.

The aircraft struck the ground in a slightly nose down attitude at a comparatively low forward speed, but with an extremely high rate of descent. The undercarriage collapsed and the aircraft bounced and skidded on the grass surface for a distance of 234 feet before coming to rest. There was no fire.