ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 238696
Last updated: 5 January 2021
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| Date: | 26-JUL-2020 |
| Time: | 12:46 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 402C Utiliner |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | VH-TSI |
| C/n / msn: | 402C0492 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Papa Lealea, Central Province -
 Papua New Guinea
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Illegal Flight |
| Departure airport: | Papa Lealea |
| Mareeba, near Cairns | |
| Investigating agency: | AIC PNG |
On 26 July 2020, at 12:46 local time (02:46 UTC), a Cessna 402C aircraft, registered VH-TSI, impacted trees during an aborted take-off at an uncommissioned field near Papa – Lealea, about 16nm North-West of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
At about 09:30 that day, the aircraft departed Mareeba, Queensland, Australia and tracked towards the North North-East with a track set slightly left of Jacksons International Airport. The pilot reported that he had flown to and within Papua New Guinea in the past and was familiar with the area and airspace. He confirmed that after departure, he switched off the transponder.
The pilot reported that as soon as the aircraft neared the Southern shoreline (within the Caution Bay area), he diverted left and began tracking towards the North West along the coast to avoid flying over villages in the area. The aircraft subsequently crossed over land before turning back to approach the intended landing field.
The pilot stated that as he approached to land from the North, the outboard section of the left wing was clipped by a tree and separated from the aircraft and he managed to continue with the approach and touched down on the field at about 12:20.
The pilot stated that the aircraft was refuelled with aviation gasoline (AvGas) using jerrycans full of fuel and loaded with cargo by persons waiting on the ground.
According to the pilot, the field offered enough distance for take-off and at about 12:40, he commenced his take off roll from the Southern end of the field. However, as the aircraft took off, he noticed that the airspeed indicator was not working and that the aircraft couldn’t achieve a positive rate of climb. The pilot subsequently closed the throttles and aborted the take off. The aircraft touched down about 850 m into the field, colliding with trees during its landing roll.
The pilot reported he was the sole occupant of the aircraft, and sustained minor injuries.
The aircraft was substantially damaged.
The pilot was arrested because 500 kgs of cocaine were found hidden near the aircraft.
The investigation determined that the aircraft was not airworthy at the time of the accident and was unserviceable for the conduct of the flight. The investigation also determined that there was no proper document control to conduct timely scheduled maintenance and that there was no record of a certificate of airworthiness (CoA) at the time of the accident
Sources:
https://postcourier.com.pg/plane-crashes-near-papa-lealea-in-port-moresby/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/422150/png-accident-commission-investigating-aircraft-crash-near-pom
http://www.aic.gov.pg/pdf/media/release/2020/Media%20Release%2015-2020.pdf
http://www.aic.gov.pg/pdf/PreRpts/AIC%2020-1005%20VH-TSI.pdf
https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/png-mysterious-plane/12501616
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/422367/pilot-of-mystery-plane-in-png-crash-named
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/plane-overloaded-with-cocaine-crashes-in-png-unravels-alleged-melbourne-syndicate-20200801-p55hlp.html
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/safety-probe-reveals-why-alleged-drug-flight-between-png-and-australia-ended-in-disaster
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Location
Media:
An Australian registered aircraft has crashed at Papalealea outside of Port Moresby. There are suspicions that it was involved in an illegal smuggling operation as its transponder was turned off and it did not have an approved flight path #PNG pic.twitter.com/t3HR7kAGUz
— Deni ToKunai (@Tavurvur) July 27, 2020
Safety probe reveals why alleged drug flight between PNG and Australia ended in disaster https://t.co/1CAtafkoJx via @SBSNews
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) January 5, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Jul-2020 08:06 | Petropavlovsk | Added |
| 27-Jul-2020 08:31 | gerard57 | Updated [Source] |
| 27-Jul-2020 11:07 | Aerossurance | Updated [Date, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 27-Jul-2020 12:06 | Petropavlovsk | Updated [Date, Embed code] |
| 27-Jul-2020 15:32 | Aerossurance | Updated [Date, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Jul-2020 18:13 | gerard57 | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Narrative] |
| 29-Jul-2020 07:04 | gerard57 | Updated [Departure airport, Source] |
| 30-Jul-2020 06:31 | gerard57 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Aug-2020 08:52 | gerard57 | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Aug-2020 08:52 | gerard57 | Updated [Total occupants] |
| 15-Aug-2020 18:57 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Aug-2020 19:00 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 04-Jan-2021 19:38 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
| 05-Jan-2021 14:22 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, Accident report] |
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