ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 211051
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| Date: | Monday 14 May 2018 |
| Time: | 16:30 LT |
| Type: |  Gippsland GA-8 Airvan |
| Owner/operator: | Shoal Air |
| Registration: | VH-BFL |
| MSN: | GA8-06-107 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Bungle Bungles, Purnululu National Park, WA -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Bellburn Airstrip, WA |
| Bellburn Airstrip, WA | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On 14 May 2018, a Gippsland Aeronautics GA-8 Airvan aircraft, registered VH‑BFL, departed Kununurra, Western Australia (WA) on a scenic charter flight. The pilot and three passengers were on board.
After about one hour and fifteen minutes, the aircraft landed at Bellburn Airstrip, 202 km SSW from Kununurra, and picked up four more passengers. The aircraft departed at about 1600 Western Standard Time, to continue the scenic flight. A second company aircraft was utilised to carry the passengers’ baggage.
About 12 minutes after departure, the pilot commenced a planned climb from 2,500 ft to 3,500 ft above mean sea level, during which he felt the aircraft performance was a bit ‘sluggish’. The pilot reported that the climb rate was lower than expected with the aircraft’s speed between 85–100 kt. The pilot also observed the fuel flow was about 55–60 litres per hour (l/hr), which was less than expected for the full rich mixture setting selected.
The pilot reported that he then completed a check of the engine settings and physically confirmed, through touching the controls, that the mixture was full rich, the throttle control was set to 25 inches of manifold pressure, and the propeller lever was set to 2,500 revolutions per minute. The pilot turned the fuel pump on, which made no difference to the aircraft performance. He then notified the company chief pilot, who was flying the other aircraft.
The pilot decided to divert and commenced a turn back to Bellburn maintaining 3,500 ft. The pilot left climb power set and briefed the passengers that they were diverting to Bellburn. The fuel flow had now reduced to about 50–55 l/hr, however, airspeed and height were maintained. The pilot checked if there were any other abnormal indications but all gauges were indicating normally, with both fuel tanks indicating three quarters full and no warning lights illuminated.
During the transit back to Bellburn, the pilot performed some troubleshooting by gently moving the throttle back and forward. There was a noticeable deceleration when the throttle was moved back so the pilot returned it, to its original position for the transit back to Bellburn.
The pilot reported that about 18 km from Bellburn, without further pilot intervention, the power slowly started to decrease. To maintain height, the pilot increased the aircraft’s pitch, resulting in a decrease in airspeed. When the airspeed reached 80 kt, the best glide speed for the aircraft, the pilot commenced a shallow descent, maintaining 80 kt. The pilot reported fuel flow was reading approximately 45 l/hr in the turn. The pilot contacted the chief pilot to advise him of the descent and asked for further assistance. On suggestion from the chief pilot, the pilot moved the mixture control a few millimetres back and then forward again. Immediately the engine started to run very roughly. The fuel flow then dropped to 35 l/hr and the engine started to cough and splutter. The pilot estimated that they lost about 90 per cent of the power that had been available prior to adjusting the mixture setting.
At this point, the pilot determined that a forced landing was required and turned into wind. The pilot maintained 80 kt, and confirmed the fuel pump was on, the mixture control was set to full rich, the ignition was on both magnetos, and the throttle was pushed forward. The pilot advised the passengers that he was performing a forced landing and briefed them on the process for evacuating the aircraft after landing. During the descent, the pilot tried pushing the manual prime button, which produced no increase in engine performance.
The pilot selected a forced landing area and turned towards it. During the descent, at approximately 150 ft above ground level, the pilot secured the engine and turned off the aircraft’s electrical system. During the landing roll, the wings hit some small trees. Towards the end of the landing roll, the aircraft went into a ditch and tore off the nose landing gear.
ATSB Findings
- The air intake pipe to engine cylinder number six probably detached in flight, leading to the loss of engine performance. There was insufficient evidence to determine why the intake pipe detached from the engine.
- Recent forced landing practice performed by the pilot as part of the operator’s joining procedures likely reduced the risk of mishandling the emergency and may have prevented more serious injuries being received by the pilot and passengers during the forced landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/travel/plane-makes-emergency-landing-near-was-bungle-bungles-ng-b88836061z
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2018/aair/ao-2018-036/
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Shoal-Air/Gippsland-GA-8-Airvan/1927709
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-May-2018 06:55 | gerard57 | Added |
| 15-May-2018 08:16 | gerard57 | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 15-May-2018 13:39 | Pineapple | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 26-May-2018 14:23 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Dec-2018 13:31 | Kardz | Updated [Time] |
| 18-Apr-2019 06:01 | harro | Updated [Total occupants, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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