Collision with terrain

On 22 October 2010, a replica Supermarine Spitfire MK26 recreational/light sport aircraft (registered 19-4024) collided with terrain near Gympie authorised landing area (ALA), fatally injuring the pilot. Recreational Aviation Australia Inc (RA-Aus) is assisting the Queensland Police in their investigation of the occurrence.

On 17 November 2010, RA-Aus requested technical assistance from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) for the recovery of data from an engine management system (EMS) module recovered from the accident site. To protect the information supplied by RA-Aus and the investigative work undertaken, the ATSB initiated an investigation under the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.

Due to the damage to the EMS and the lack of configuration information, the recovery involved extracting the data from the electronic memory components and, using example data provided by the EMS manufacturer, converting the binary extracted data into engineering units.

The full converted data set was provided directly to RA-Aus investigators. This report represents an outline of the process undertaken and a summary of the data obtained.

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Released in accordance with section 25 of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.

On 9 November 2010, the student pilot of a Robinson Helicopter Company R22 Beta II, registered VH-TCG, was engaged in a helicopter aerial stock mustering operation on a private station near Rolleston, Queensland. During the muster, after losing communication with the helicopter, one of the mustering party found the wreckage of the helicopter. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured and the helicopter seriously damaged as a result of the collision with terrain.

The investigation found that the pilot had not met the competency standards to operate a helicopter solo, and had not received any training towards low flying or aerial stock mustering.

The investigation did not identify any organisational or systemic issues that might adversely affect the future safety of aviation operations. However, the accident does provide a timely reminder of the importance of ensuring that flight crews have the appropriate competencies and currency before engaging in highly-skilled tasks.

On 15 October 2010, the pilot of a Gippsland Aeronautics GA-8 Airvan, registered VH-DQP, was conducting a charter flight from Lady Barron, Flinders Island to Bridport, Tasmania with six passengers on board. The aircraft departed Lady Barron Aerodrome at about 1700 Australian Eastern Daylight-saving Time and entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) several minutes afterwards while climbing to the intended cruising altitude of about 1,500 ft. The pilot did not hold a command instrument rating, and the aircraft was not equipped for flight in IMC. He attempted to turn the aircraft to return to Lady Barron Aerodrome but became lost, steering instead towards high ground in the Strzelecki National Park in the south-east of Flinders Island.

At about 1715, the aircraft exited cloud in the Strzelecki National Park, very close to the ground. The pilot turned to the left, entering a small valley in which he could neither turn the aircraft nor out climb the terrain. He elected to slow the aircraft to its stalling speed for a forced landing and, moments later, it impacted the treetops and then the ground. The first passenger to exit the aircraft used the aircraft fire extinguisher to put out a small fire that had begun beneath the engine. The other passengers and the pilot then exited the aircraft safely. One passenger was slightly injured during the impact; the pilot and other passengers were uninjured.

During the night, all of the occupants of the aircraft were rescued by helicopter and taken to the hospital in Whitemark, Flinders Island.

On 4 October 2010, the pilot of a Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta, registered VH‑THI, was conducting cattle mustering operations on a station property about 170 km east of Katherine, Northern Territory. During those operations, the helicopter collided with the ground. The pilot, the sole occupant of the helicopter, sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was seriously damaged.

The investigation determined that the collision with terrain was probably a result of engine stoppage while operating at low altitude. The investigation also determined that the helicopter was serviceable prior to the collision with the terrain and that the engine stoppage was probably due to fuel exhaustion.

The nature of mustering operations had the potential to divert the pilot's attention away from other safety-critical tasks, such as monitoring the helicopter's fuel state. The circumstances of the accident highlight the importance of pilots and operators using a system to independently verify the fuel quantity in their aircraft's tanks.

Preliminary report released 25 September 2010

On 14 September 2010, the pilot of a Cessna A188B/A1 Agtruck aircraft, registered VH-KZF was conducting aerial spraying operations about 25 km east of Geraldton Aerodrome, Western Australia.

The pilot was taking off from a gravel airstrip on the eleventh of 12 planned flights when the aircraft struck a tree stump that was located in the runway overshoot area, then collided with terrain about 100 m from the departure end of the airstrip.

The pilot was fatally injured, and the aircraft was seriously damaged by the impact forces and an intense post-impact fire.

The ATSB has completed its technical examination of a cockpit-mounted Global Positioning System (GPS) unit from Hughes Engineering Lightwing SP-2000 aircraft, registered 24-7057. The aircraft was involved in a fatal accident on 4 April 2010 at Tartrus Station, Queensland.

Recreational Aviation Australia Inc (RA-Aus) is assisting the Queensland Police in their investigation of this accident. RA-Aus requested assistance from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in the recovery and analysis of information from the GPS unit, which had been recovered from the aircraft wreckage by RA-Aus investigators. To protect the information recovered from the GPS unit and the investigative work undertaken to assist RA-Aus, the ATSB initiated an investigation under the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.

In summary, while the GPS unit was found to be functional, the ATSB's examination of the device found that the unit's track and data recording functionality had not been enabled, and as a result, there was no data relating to the accident able to be recovered.

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Released in accordance with section 25 of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.

On the morning of 21 June 2010, the owner/pilot of a Cessna Aircraft 172N, registered VH‑UFN, departed from a private airstrip near Woolcunda Lake, New South Wales for a flight over the pilot's property. The aircraft did not return and was reported missing that afternoon. A search was initiated and, 2 days later, the aircraft was located in Woolcunda Lake.

The investigation identified that the aircraft impacted the lake in a left banking turn. Irrespective of the reason for being at low level, it is probable that the pilot misjudged the height of the aircraft above the lake's surface or was distracted at a height from which the pilot was unable to recover before impacting the water.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau report AR‑2009-041 Avoidable Accidents No. 1: Low‑level flying addressed the dangers associated with low-level flight and in particular, the reduced time available to recover from any loss of control. This investigation provides a timely reminder of the effect on that risk of flight over expanses of flat, featureless terrain or water.

Preliminary report released 6 August 2010

On 13 June 2010, a Robinson Helicopter Co R22 Beta, registered VH-RPN, was engaged in cattle mustering operations on a station property about 257 km east-north-east of Derby, Western Australia. During those operations the helicopter collided with the ground and caught fire. The pilot, the sole occupant of the helicopter sustained fatal injuries.

On 9 January 2010, the pilot of a Cessna Aircraft Company A185E floatplane, registered VH-ELQ, commenced the take-off run in Tippler's Passage on a charter flight around South Stradbroke Island, Queensland (Qld), with four passengers onboard. Immediately after the aircraft's floats came out of the water, the pilot reported 'feeling something hitting and vibrating on the right float'. The pilot rejected the takeoff and landed the aircraft straight ahead. The aircraft struck a sandbank and came to rest inverted. The five occupants exited the aircraft; one passenger received minor injuries.

Shortly after, a crab pot was observed within the immediate vicinity of the aircraft. The pilot reported that it was likely that the crab pot became entangled around the aircraft's right water rudder during taxiing.

An investigation conducted by the Queensland Police Service determined that there was evidence to suggest that the crab pot had come into contact with the aircraft's float. However, where the contact was made, and for how long, was not determined. A number of differences were also identified throughout the course of the investigation relating to the wind conditions at the time of the accident, the position of the aircraft at the time of the takeoff, whether or not the takeoff was commenced into wind, and the location of the crab pots. These differences could not be reconciled.

While the aircraft occupants in this accident were able to don life jackets and exit the aircraft without difficulty, previous ATSB investigations have highlighted the challenges faced when exiting from an inverted, submerged aircraft cabin. In 2009, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making, proposing that each occupant of a seaplane taking off or landing on water must wear a life jacket. This will ensure that the availability of life jackets after the occupants have exited the aircraft into the water is assured.

On 23 December 2009, a Garlick Helicopters Incorporated TH-1F helicopter, registered VH-UHD, was engaged in aerial firefighting operations in the Nangar National Park, New South Wales. At about 200 ft above ground level, the nose of the helicopter unexpectedly yawed to the right. The pilot made a corrective input on the tailrotor pedals, but was unable to stop the yaw and the helicopter began to rotate. The pilot guided the helicopter to a less-timbered area for an emergency landing. The helicopter descended into the trees and was seriously damaged. The pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured.

The loss of directional control was due to a structural failure in the helicopter's tailrotor control system, likely precipitated by the failure of an attachment bolt.

The investigation identified a safety issue with the maintenance and operation of ex-military helicopters being used in repetitive heavy lift operations. In response, on 5 July 2011, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority published Airworthiness Bulletin 02‑40 Issue 1 to advise operators and maintainers to investigate the basis for, and the correct implementation of, the continuing airworthiness requirements of the applicable type certificate data sheet and incorporated supplemental type certificates, particularly in regard to the retirement lives of all life-limited components.