Loss of control

The pilot intended to conduct a practice aerobatic flight, and had arranged for an observer on the ground to monitor and assess his performance. The planned sequence was commenced, but the observer noted that the second manoeuvre was not completed satisfactorily, and the aircraft apparently stalled while inverted. After recovering from this situation, further manoeuvres were carried out. Other witnesses suggested that the entries to some of these manoeuvres were performed at higher "G" loadings than normal. The aircraft subsequently entered a spiral dive, which was continued without any apparent effort being made to effect recovery. The aircraft maintained the spiral until it collided with power lines, then impacted the ground. A fierce fire broke out and consumed the wreckage. A detailed investigation failed to discover any defect or malfunction with the aircraft or its systems which might have contributed to the accident. The pilot had been in current practice for aerobatic flight, and there was no evidence of any physical illness or incapacity which might have affected his ability to control the aircraft. However, it was evident that the aircraft was not under control during the spiral dive. It was considered possible that the pilot might have lost consciousness as a result of either a rapid increase in "G", or sustained high "G" loads applied during the preceding aerobatic sequence.

Just after lift-off for spraying operations the aircraft sank back to the ground and drifted to the left. The pilot dumped the load but the aircraft became entangled in a fence running along the left side of the strip. The pilot stated that at a height of about 20 feet the aircraft appeared to encounter a wind gust from the right rear quarter. The aircraft was heavily laden and the pilot had been unable to regain full control before the collision with the fence.

Circumstances:

All the pilot's previous flying experience was in conventional aircraft. He had operated this aircraft only to the extent of conducting short "hops" along the strip. On this occasion however, he became airborne and flew for about 15 minutes before approaching to land. On late finals as the aircraft flared for landing, the engine power was heard to increase and then decrease. At the same time, the aircraft began to porpoise. The right wing and then the nose struck the ground before the aircraft nosed over.

The pilot had not flown the aircraft type for 2 months. After a period in the training area he approached to land on the 17 strip. The wind was from the south-east at 5 to 10 knots. During the ground roll brake was applied, but the aircraft diverted to the right side of the strip. The pilot corrected for this, but the ensuing left turn tightened and the right maingear collapsed. The aircraft came to rest 480 metres into the strip. It was determined that the gear leg had failed from overload forces. An inspection of the cockpit revealed that the throttle was partly forward, suggesting this may have been a factor in the longer than normal landing run and the problem of directional control of the aircraft. This accident was not the subject of an on scene investigation.

The pilot was engaged in spraying a crop of lupins. The aircraft was observed to fly from one paddock to another on the property. A short time later a tree in that paddock was observed to be on fire. The wreckage of the aircraft was later found in the paddock. The aircraft had struck the ground in an inverted attitude and was completely burnt out by the ensuing fire. No evidence of aircraft failure or pilot incapacitation was found. The reason for the loss of control leading to the accident could not be determined.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that the aircraft was taking off downhill from a one-way agricultural strip with a load of superphosphate. The strip consisted of 300 metres of gravel, followed by about 100 metres of pasture. A gully crossed beyond the strip end. The pilot reported that the wind in the loading area at the top of the strip was a very light quartering tailwind from the left. The aircraft became airborne at the end of the gravel strip, with the engine apparently delivering full power. Almost immediately the aircraft encountered sink, with the mainwheels touching momentarily on the pasture. At that stage, the pilot commenced dumping the load, but the aircraft failed to respond. Full dump was initiated. However, the aircraft stalled, dropping the right wing before striking the ground on the far side of the gully with the wing, which broke off. The aircraft then skidded through a fence in a semi-inverted attitude for about 70 metres before coming to rest upright. The pilot advised that the wind funnelling down the valley was gusting 12 to 15 knots from the left, considerably different to that in the loading area.

Circumstances:

The aircraft was being landed on an agricultural strip prior to commencing spreading operations. The pilot reported the landing was normal until the aircraft developed a swing to the left. Application of the right brake had no effect due to a very slippery, short wet grass surface. The aircraft collided with a fence at low speed, displacing the left landing gear, and damaging the left wing. The wind was a left, quartering tailwind at five knots.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that just prior to touchdown he experienced a huge crosswind gust that blew him to the side of the strip. He attempted to regain directional control with rudder as the aircraft was then on the ground, but he could not prevent the aircraft running into a sand windrow at the edge of the strip. On striking the windrow and then bushes, the left main gear leg was torn off followed by the other gear legs. The engine was also reportedly detached from the nose of the aircraft.

The aircraft was being flown by the pilot under supervision. Touchdown was made 450 metres beyond the threshold of the strip. The pilot applied heavy braking and the aircraft began to skid and slide sideways down the strip. About 560 metres after touchdown, the right hand main gear over centre-lock released due to the side loads imposed. These loads were transmitted to the braze rod which failed, causing the gear to collapse. The right wingtip and propeller struck the ground.

Circumstances:

The pilot reported that he was spraying a crop with the runs oriented in a racetrack pattern across the wind, which was south-easterly at 15 knots. This resulted in a turn into wind at one end and a turn downwind at the other end. He experienced difficulty in preventing the aircraft drifting away from the paddock during the downwind turns and was widening the turns in an attempt to correct the problem. During the third downwind turn the aircraft stalled but the pilot was unable to level the wings due to trees in the path of the aircraft. The right wing struck a fence and cartwheeled into a paddock.