July 2022 Outlook Newsletter

DerekB30/07/202227/10/2022

The July 2022 edition of our newsletter Outlook / AHSA News has been emailed to members.

This edition can also be read online in the viewer below.

Click here to view fullscreen (opens in a new tab)

1996 Beechcraft A36 Bonanza VH-AFP crashed near Tyagarah, NSW on 28 May 1996. Around lunch time on the day of the accident the pilot invited a number of people for a joyflight later in the day to view whales off the coast near Byron Bay. The flight was expected to take about 45 minutes. Witnesses reported that soon after the aircraft became airborne, when at a height of 70 to 100 ft above the strip and with the landing gear almost retracted, the engine rapidly lost power. A passenger reported that the pilot tapped a number of instrument faces, asked himself what was happening a couple of times, and appeared to become panicked. Pilots at the airstrip said that they expected the nose of the aircraft to be lowered but this did not occur. A short time later the wings began to rock before the left wing dropped and the aircraft collided with the ground beside the Pacific Highway. At impact, the aircraft was banked about 90 degrees to the left and was descending at an angle of about 30 degrees. The left wing broke into sections and the aircraft slid backwards to rest against trees beside the road. The four occupants were rescued from the aircraft before it was consumed by fire. The pilot and the passenger who had been seated in the front seat were fatally injured. The ATSB investigation concluded 1. The pilot did not conduct an adequate pre-flight fuel inspection; 2. The engine failed due to water in the fuel system; 3. The pilot did not initiate appropriate actions to carry out a forced landing; and 4. The aircraft collided with the ground after it lost flying speed. Sources: ATSB; aviation-safety.net website