Occurrences

Date	Occurrence #	Location	State	Aircraft	Model	Engine	Model	Summary
16/11/2015	OCC0490	Lake Charm	VIC	Savannah	Classic	Rotax	912 80 HP	Aircraft was flown without owner's permission. During the flight the aircraft was severely damaged h...
Aircraft was flown without owner's permission. During the flight the aircraft was severely damaged however the accident was not observed by the aircraft owner. Aircraft has severe damage which suggests it has had impact with the ground. No injury to pilot. Pilot stated on take-off run the aircraft became airborne but failed to climb normally and the resultant path was insufficient to clear power line obstacles at the upwind end and in attempted manoeuvring by the pilot the aircraft's wing tip struck a fence post with further impact damage occurring prior to coming to rest. The available runway was deemed sufficient at 700m and the pilot did not indicate conditions at the time contributed to the accident. Pilot also advised he had operated from the same locations many times and in company with a local CFI as well. There were some concerns expressed by the pilot that power was observed to reduce following separation but no indication of any attempt to abort the take off were advised. OUTCOME: The pilot failed to attain suitable flight parameters for appropriate climb performance within the take-off distance available resulting in impact with obstacles in the flight path. Pilot has advised purchase of a Terrier recreational aircraft and has advised he will undertake appropriate type training and review prior to command flight in this aircraft. No flight activity has been undertaken since this incident to date.
11/11/2015	OCC0482	Scone	NSW	Jabiru	J160	Jabiru	22A 4cyl	At 3500' AMSL the engine started to vibrate and lost substantial power. Pilot applied carburettor he...
At 3500' AMSL the engine started to vibrate and lost substantial power. Pilot applied carburettor heat, fuel boost pump and full throttle but continued to lose height at the rate of about 500fpm. At about 800' AGL pilot activated the PLB and landed in a suitable paddock. AMSAR contacted pilot by phone where the circumstances were explained and pilot advised that no assistance was required. OUTCOME: ATSB in consultation with CASA, RAAus and Jabiru conducted an engine tear down of this engine to identify the causal factors for the engines failure. Information pertaining to the ATSB report is available at https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2015/aair/ae-2015-137/
9/11/2015	OCC0479	Rokewood Shelford Road - Warranbeen Property	VIC	Tecnam	P92 Eaglet	Rotax	912 100hp	Aircraft had taken off from Lethbridge Airpark and was flying around the training area for approxima...
Aircraft had taken off from Lethbridge Airpark and was flying around the training area for approximately 1.5 hrs when the engine lost power back to idle. PIC pushed the throttle completely in (full throttle) however the power did not increase. Pilot pulled the throttle back out and then back in to full throttle again however still there was no change in power. Pilot then turned the fuel tap for the right tank off and then back on and repeated the same for the left fuel tank - at this point the engine stopped completely. Pilot turned the ignition key off and then on again in an attempt to restart the engine but the engine did not restart. Pilot attempted to land on a dirt road within a paddock and, on landing, the left main wheel struck a rock which caused the aircraft to slip sideways into a wire fence. OUTCOME: All landing gears had been broken and there was some damage to left wing and dent in fuselage. Nil injuries sustained by pilot. After inspection of the recovered aircraft it appears that the fuel was the cause. An inspection found contamination in the fuel system. The airfield owner has since fitted a strainer/ filter to the bulk supply onsite however the aircraft was written-off by the insurance company.
8/11/2015	OCC0475	Bordertown	SA	Jabiru	J230	Jabiru	3300	At 6500' engine misfired then began to run rough. All temps and pressures good. Plenty of fuel. Pilo...
At 6500' engine misfired then began to run rough. All temps and pressures good. Plenty of fuel. Pilot lowered power settings however engine clatter experienced and engine came to an abrupt stop. 'Mayday' call conducted on area frequency which was acknowledged with request to activate ident and EPIRB. MEL CTR acknowledged position and asked intentions. Pilot maintained look out, left radio on and radioed through that that they had located a good paddock not far from bitumen road and homestead and would land there after performing final checks as per manual. Relatively uneventful landing in paddock with cut hay. Nil injuries. Pilot called Area Freq saying all ok. Within about 5 minutes a plane circled and pilot indicated all ok. Emergency services arrived on scene however found it difficult to locate aircraft due to poor mobile reception. OUTCOME: As this aircraft/ engine is an LSA the responsibility is with the manufacturer and owner. CASA are working to address the number of engine failures reported with this type of engine and have implemented an instrument to reduce the risk identified. The Instrument will be reviewed in July 2016.
7/11/2015	OCC0474	Walcha Airstrip	NSW	Thruster	Gemini	Rotax	582 ULDCDI99	DEFECT: Undercarriage support beam breaking on landing through inner wheel spring mounting hole on r...
DEFECT: Undercarriage support beam breaking on landing through inner wheel spring mounting hole on right side of aircraft, and causing right main undercarriage wheel to fold up under the weight of the aircraft during the landing roll. OUTCOME: This is a known failure point. In the later models the aircraft has a different structure to stiffen this area. Recommend aircraft incorporate new style of beam to strengthen this area.
7/11/2015	OCC0484	Gawler Airfield	SA	Jabiru	J170D	Jabiru	22B	DEFECT: Aircraft flying in the circuit had just taken off again when the rudder became ineffective. ...
DEFECT: Aircraft flying in the circuit had just taken off again when the rudder became ineffective. Pilot was unable to turn right however was able to conducted a landing on a suitable runway available to aircraft turning left only. Aircraft landed safely. OUTCOME: Aircraft has been fitted with a new rudder control cable and the aircraft is flying again. See Jabiru Service Letter: Rudder Cable End JSL019 for information from the manufacturer on further information about inspection of this defect. http://jabiru.net.au/images/JSL019-2_Rudder_cable_end_inspect.pdf
4/11/2015	OCC0478	Roma	QLD	Tecnam	P92 Eaglet	Rotax	912	DEFECT: Engine vibrated badly just after take-off and failed to produce take-off power. Aircraft lan...
DEFECT: Engine vibrated badly just after take-off and failed to produce take-off power. Aircraft landed safely. OUTCOME: Maintainer inspected and engine inspected with leak down test and carburettor inspection however no fault found. Possibly caused by heat causing vapour lock in section of fuel line on top of engine to left hand carburettor.
2/11/2015	OCC0461	Amberley	QLD	KF Lightplanes	14B2 Polaris	Rotax	912 ULS	Violation of Controlled Airspace OUTCOME: Ops reviewed Pilot response and subsequent actions - prim...
Violation of Controlled Airspace OUTCOME: Ops reviewed Pilot response and subsequent actions - primary cause: Reliance on secondary electronic flight planning and tracking equipment (EFB & GPS). Pilot has effectively reviewed incident and carried out appropriate follow up actions and remedial mitigation for future operations. YAMB advice is request a discrete code and clearance is not available to RPC holders without meeting all requirements in CA0 95.55 para 7.3.
31/10/2015	OCC0460	Sunshine Coast	QLD	Piper	Sport Cruiser	Rotax	912 ULS	The tower had cleared aircraft to land only and hold on the runway, as a preceding A320 had just tak...
The tower had cleared aircraft to land only and hold on the runway, as a preceding A320 had just taken off. After touch down the student in control powered up for a touch and go. PIC determined it was a larger safety concern to abort at that stage of the take-off as the aircraft had already lifted off and had a high nose attitude in ground effect and instead opted for a best angle climb out and early crosswind turn for a left circuit as advised by the tower. This resulted in a Reduction in Separation between the aircraft and the Airbus climbing upwind bringing them closer than ideal to the wake turbulence created by the preceding aircraft. Although no wake turbulence was encountered the aircraft was not cleared for the touch and go. OUTCOME: Operations have reviewed and the the response from the pilot about the decision made and actions undertaken are appropriate. NFA Ops
29/10/2015	OCC0458	Wollongong	NSW	Piper	Seneca	Unknown	Unknown	On approach into RWY08 in a Piper Seneca, a Jabiru rolled through the holding point while simultaneo...
On approach into RWY08 in a Piper Seneca, a Jabiru rolled through the holding point while simultaneously giving a "crossing the runway" call. Piper pilot was about to touch down and could not Go-around (as the Jabiru was too close) and elected to continue to land and apply emergency braking. Piper pilot gave a call indicating their position which promoted the pilot to stop immediately. Piper stopped about 50 meters short of the Jabiru without having to avoid the Jabiru. OUTCOME: Ops spoke with JABpilot who agreed confusion may have existed between his intentions and his actions. Pilot didn't believe the risk of collision was high, however wasn't aware the Seneca had applied emergency braking to stop. JABPilot has spoken to local CFI and learnt several lessons including ensuring a situational picture of aircraft is built even while taxiing and running up, and ensuring clear comms are made.
29/10/2015	OCC0483	Wollongong	NSW	Jabiru	J170	Jabiru	2200	Jabiru was holding ready to cross RWY08 and RWY26 and did not hear the base call for the VH aircraft...
Jabiru was holding ready to cross RWY08 and RWY26 and did not hear the base call for the VH aircraft on RWY08 however heard the on-final call for a full stop. The active runway at the time was RWY34 however there was a 5-10 kt wind from the East. The VH aircraft touched down and Jabiru pilot gave a call that he was taxing for RWY34 and cross RWY08 and RWY26. The VH aircraft called to state they were still on the runway which Jabiru had a clear view of and could see they were starting their turn off the runway. Jabiru pilot started to move when a call was heard from VH aircraft and pilot immediately stopped to assess the situation. The VH aircraft departed at the cross strip and radioed the runway was available and Jabiru Pilot acknowledged. OUTCOME: Ops spoke with JABpilot who agreed confusion may have existed between his intentions and his actions. Pilot didn't believe the risk of collision was high, however wasn't aware the Seneca had applied emergency braking to stop. JABPilot has spoken to local CFI and learnt several lessons including ensuring a situational picture of aircraft is built even while taxiing and running up, and ensuring clear comms are made.
29/10/2015	OCC0469	Ridells Creek	VIC	Corvus	Fusion	UL		DEFECT: Significant leakage of fuel under pressure along the length of the fuel line from pump to in...
DEFECT: Significant leakage of fuel under pressure along the length of the fuel line from pump to injector rail. Fuel forced out under pressure through the Stainless Steel over-braid. Aircraft has previously flown, during factory flight test however has not flown since then for 2 + years. Examination of a small length of core "rubber" hose from which over-braid had been removed showed a multitude of cracks and tears in the hose. Leakage estimated at 1 litre plus in 30 secs of pressurisation. OUTCOME: Tech reviewed report and appears that fuel line issues due to an extended storage period. Tech recommends a full inspection of aircraft after long storage periods to identify any corrosion that may have occurred.
20/10/2015	OCC0470	Jandakot	WA	Evektor	Sportstar	Rotax	912 ULS	Pilot was asked to join up wind at 1500 and instead turned for base. When told to maintain 1500 and ...
Pilot was asked to join up wind at 1500 and instead turned for base. When told to maintain 1500 and track for upwind Pilot requested to join on final. The tower cleared pilot, after which he flew a slightly unstable approach and did not perform a good landing. The pilot kept the aircraft on the runway and taxied to the apron. OUTCOME: Operations has reviewed incident. CFI has conducted debrief with pilot for further education and training to provide appropriate information to the student. NFA required.
17/10/2015	OCC0466	Wyalkatchem	WA	Pipistrel	Sinus	Rotax	912 UL	First take-off for 2 weeks aborted on ground run when engine ran rough - stopped and investigated bu...
First take-off for 2 weeks aborted on ground run when engine ran rough - stopped and investigated but found no causes. Ran up engine and carried out ignition check at 4000 RPM. No problems and normal engine running on taxi back to take-off at end of strip. Second take-off normal with engine running at 5430 RPM on climb. At approximately 250-280 ft the engine ran rough and lost power. Pilot brought the throttle to idle and made off field normal landing straight ahead in wheat paddock 400 m north of end of RWY03. Permission gained from landowner to cut fence between paddock and end of RWY03. Aircraft pushed back to runway and taxied back to hangar. OUTCOME: Maintainer was unable to find a definitive cause of the rough engine however conducted the following after the incident: - drained all fuel (98 mogas) and replaced it with new fuel. - checked the gascolator and cleaned it. - removed carbs and cleaned with carb cleaner. - cleaned filter pods with K&N kit. - new plugs were ordered from manufacturer and installed. - checked lines, carb stubs and wiring attachments. Maintainer conducted a long run-up and checks with no issues with the test flight being OK and 1.5 h cross country being OK. It is recommended that a 50 h change would have be prudent with the plugs as the engine started easier and ran smoother after the plug change.
17/10/2015	OCC0464	Cunnamulla	QLD	Tecnam	P 2004 Bravo	Rotax	912 ULS	DEFECT: On three occasions in a four month period aircraft owner has walked out to the training airc...
DEFECT: On three occasions in a four month period aircraft owner has walked out to the training aircraft to find a flat tyre. Concerned raised over the Michelin brand tyre - each of the three tubes had a very small foreign particle embedded in the rubber that had worn through over a number of months. OUTCOME: Defective component identified as left main tube (Michelin 5.00 tube) - Tech recommend alternative brand of tyre tube.