Investigation number
199001986
Occurrence date
Location
Mittagong
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
Serious

The aircraft had taken off on runway 24 towards a range of hills. Wind at the time was reported as a steady 20 knots from the south-west, straight down the runway. After take-off, the pilot retracted the landing gear and reduced power for climb. He reported that soon after, the aircraft encountered a windshear, lost airspeed and failed to climb. He did not reapply full power. There were no clear areas ahead so he commenced a left turn; however, the airspeed decayed further and the left wing dropped. The aircraft struck the top branches of a 15 m pine tree, rolling inverted before coming to rest approximately 15 m from a house. The occupants were trapped in the wreckage until emergency services arrived. The accident site was approximately 1 250 m south-west of the end of the runway. The terrain is below a five percent gradient, but beyond this area it rises quite steeply to a ridge line approximately 5 km from the runway. No fault was found with the aircraft. There was evidence from propeller strike marks on severed branches that the engine had been delivering substantial power at the time of impact. The area is well known for local wind effects due to the terrain. The prevailing wind direction would have been conducive to wind shear in the lee of the ridge where the accident occurred. This is the second of three similar accidents which have occurred within an area of 1.5 km during the last few years. In each case the aircraft failed to outclimb the terrain after taking off from runway 24.

Aircraft Details
Manufacturer
Mooney Aircraft Corp
Model
M20
Registration
VH-WCT
Serial number
3074
Operation type
Private
Departure point
Mittagong NSW
Departure time
N/A
Destination
Mittagong NSW
Damage
Destroyed