ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 46368
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| Date: | Saturday 27 March 1999 |
| Time: | 14:35 |
| Type: |  NZAI Fletcher FU-24-954 |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZK-EMV |
| MSN: | 276 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Riversdale Beach, Wairarapa -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Grass airstrip 5 km SW of Riversdale |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
[On Saturday 27 March 1999 at about 1435 hours ZK-EMV, a Fletcher FU24-954, had taken off from a grass airstrip on a routine sowing run, 5 km southwest of Riversdale in the Wairarapa, when it was observed to sink rapidly before hitting a fence. After hitting the fence the aircraft ballooned up and rolled, striking the ground inverted. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot died as a result of the second impact.]
Pilot Geoffrey Frank Mathews R.I.P.
The aircraft crashed on its 85th flight of the day. It took off from the one-way airstrip, which was about 500 metres long with a drop off of about 80 feet at the end. There was a gentle up-slope on the first one-third of the airstrip, with a similar down-slope over the remainder. Take offs were made towards the south due to the overall slope of the strip. The wind had been calm during the morning's operations but by the time flying was recommenced after a lunch break a slight sea breeze had developed, resulting in a quartering tailwind component of about 5 knots.
Another aircraft had joined the operation just before lunch.
Both aircraft initially began carrying fertilizer loads of 20 hundredweight (cwt) but when another loader driver took over the loading truck at about 14:15 he began loading the two aircraft with 21 cwt owing to a misunderstanding.
About ten minutes after this the pilot of ZK-EMV requested an additional 1 cwt be added to the load, bringing it to 22 cwt. After completing the first run at this heavier weight the pilot indicated to the loader driver that he wanted a further 1 cwt added for the run after the next. After landing the pilot positioned his loading point 25 metres back to compensate for the additional load now totalling 23 cwt, and the take off was commenced.
A witness on the road near the end of the airstrip saw the plane sink heavily as it went off the end of the strip and hit a fence before ballooning steeply into the air then rolling over and crashing.
The pilot of the second aircraft was returning to the strip and saw ZK-EMV in a steep angle of climb estimated to be about 45 to 50 degrees. The plane then began to roll to the left reaching a height equivalent to " 3 times power pole height". When inverted the FU24 lost height rapidly, and struck the ground upside down in the flat area below the airstrip and came to rest about 350 metres from it.
The aircraft was wrecked. Fire did not occur. The pilot was killed instantly by the severe impact on the engine and cockpit area.
The investigator concluded that the following were factors in the accident :
An increasing tail wind on take-off.
The sudden loss of ground effect as the plane left the airstrip and passed over the fall away at the end of it.
A possible encounter with an area of sinking air after take-off.
Taking-off with a heavier load than on the immediately preceding flights.
A gradual increase in the ambient temperature adversely affecting take-off performance.
Late jettisoning of the fertilizer load.
Damage to the aircraft in the collision with the fence, resulting in it becoming uncontrollable.
Sources:
Transport Accident Investigation Commission Report No. 99-002.
http://skyviking.net/svwp/?p=412
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 9 October 1980 | ZK-EMV | Fieldair Ltd | 0 | Morrinsville, Waikato | |
unk |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Nov-2008 10:35 | ASN archive | Added |
| 06-Feb-2010 23:05 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Other fatalities] |
| 23-Apr-2010 02:13 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 11-Dec-2010 16:50 | TB | Updated [Location, Phase, Departure airport] |
| 18-Jan-2017 09:05 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Jan-2017 20:40 | angels one five | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 07-May-2017 21:25 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 25-May-2018 00:29 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2021 22:10 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 23-Sep-2021 21:52 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 03-Oct-2021 22:36 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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