ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 62000
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| Date: | Tuesday 1 October 1974 |
| Time: | c. 1430 |
| Type: |  APNZ Fletcher FU-24 Mk II |
| Owner/operator: | Cookson Airspread Ltd |
| Registration: | ZK-CZC |
| MSN: | 153 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Ruatoria, East Coast -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Waiomatatini Airstrip |
| Waiomatatini Airstrip | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
Pilot Peter Richards Hood killed.
R.I.P.
The Fletcher FU24 took off on the sixty-fourth sortie of the day. The loader driver saw the aircraft make a topdressing run along the side of a ridge facing the airstrip. Moments later he saw a cloud of superphosphate dust rising from behind the same ridge. Noticing that the plane's engine noise had ceased the driver ran several hundred yards and found the aircraft had crashed and the pilot appeared to be dead.
The Fletcher had been destroyed by impact forces. Fire did not occur. This was not a survivable accident.
The position of the accident indicated that the pilot was making a " cleaning up " run across the end of the ridge and while turning steeply to the left through about 270 degrees had the port wing tip strike a spur running off the ridge. The plane pivoted about its wing tip, with the nose impacting the slope heavily and the engine separating from the airframe. The aircraft then dropped about 15 metres in a level attitude into a hollow beyond the spur while travelling backward and coming to rest in a few metres.
Examination of the wreck showed no pre-impact defects or failures. The engine was delivering power at the time of impact.
The flying conditions were good with only a light breeze and no low cloud to affect the operation.
The Chief Inspector of Air Accidents stated in his report :
" ACCIDENT CAUSE
The pilot, comparatively inexperienced in agricultural flying operations, misjudged the turning radius of his aircraft which during a steep turn collided with a hillside. "
Sources:
1. http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=7333
2. Aircraft Accident Report No. 74-107
3. New Zealand Wings, Feb 1975.
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 1 August 1972 | ZK-CZC | Cookson Airspread Ltd | Mahurangi, East Coast | |
unk |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-May-2009 12:58 | XLerate | Added |
| 13-Mar-2016 09:07 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 13-Mar-2016 09:13 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-Feb-2017 11:46 | angels one five | Updated [Total occupants] |
| 05-Oct-2021 10:17 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Source] |
| 07-Feb-2022 00:10 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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