Investigation number
198601441
Occurrence date
Location
17 km NNE Boort
Report release date
Report status
Final
Investigation type
Occurrence Investigation
Investigation status
Completed
Aviation occurrence category
Loss of control
Occurrence class
Accident
Highest injury level
None

The pilot was spraying a crop with liquid fungicide. As he pulled up to clear trees during the third swath run, the fungicide evidently surged in the hopper, and a quantity escaped past the hopper-lid seal. It then splashed over the windscreen, severely restricting the pilot's forward vision. He elected to return to the strip to clean the screen and check the hopper seal. The strip length was about 1000 metres and the pilot did not consider it necessary to dump the remainder of the load. During the landing, which was made in light downwind conditions, the pilot experienced difficulty in seeing the strip. During the latter stages of the ground roll the aircraft began to veer to the right. Corrective action failed to redress the situation and the right wing struck the fence bordering the strip. The aircraft came to rest after sliding sideways into a ditch alongside the fence, some 315 metres from the point of touchdown. Investigation confirmed that the hopper-lid seal was defective, and had apparently been so for some time. Directional control had been lost during the landing roll shortly after the free-castoring tailwheel had settled onto the ground. The combination of restricted forward visibility, a downwind/crosswind component and the relatively heavy all up weight, had prevented the pilot from making a safe landing.

Aircraft Details
Manufacturer
Cessna Aircraft Company
Model
188
Registration
VH-DGO
Operation type
Aerial Work
Departure point
17 km NNE Boort VIC
Departure time
855
Destination
17 km NNE Boort VIC
Damage
Substantial