Wirestrike Accident Piper PA-28R-201 VH-RQN, Wednesday 4 July 1984

You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.

Date:	Wednesday 4 July 1984
Time:	13:40
Type:	Piper PA-28R-201
Owner/operator:
Registration:	VH-RQN
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Gympie, QLD - Australia
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Gympie, QLD
Destination airport:	YBSU
Investigating agency:	BASI
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The pilot reported that, after commencing the take-off with flaps up, he selected 10 degrees of flap and rotated at 60 knots. Although the aircraft became airborne it did not climb normally. The aircraft struck a telephone line near the end of the strip and then landed in a paddock before passing under a power line. With full power still applied, the pilot attempted to clear a fence but the wing leading edges struck fence posts. The aircraft landed heavily and came to rest 478 metres from the strip end. The take-off performance had been degraded by a loss of engine power resulting from unserviceable piston rings in two cylinders. The aircraft was being operated at some 120 Kilograms in excess of the weight extracted from the performance charts as being the maximum allowable for the strip length.

Accident investigation: