Accident Aero Commander 500S Shrike Commander VH-SDO,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 179123
 
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Date:Thursday 27 February 1986
Time:9:
Type:Silhouette image of generic AC50 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Aero Commander 500S Shrike Commander
Owner/operator:Aerodata/World Geoscience Corporation
Registration: VH-SDO
MSN: 3263
Fatalities:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:2km N of Canning Dam, WA -   Australia
Phase: Approach
Nature:Test
Departure airport:YPJT
Destination airport:YPJT
Investigating agency: BASI
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The flight was planned to check the on-board survey equipment. After departing Jandakot the aircraft operated to the south of the airfield for about 80 minutes before the pilot advised that he would be extending his operation to the east over the Darling Ranges. The aircraft was then sighted, by several witnesses, over the foothills heading in an easterly direction. These witnesses reported that the engines were not operating normally. A short time later, the aircraft was observed to pass over the dam wall at an altitude of about 25 feet and head down a valley in a northerly direction before disappearing from sight. An inspection of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft had collided with two 30 metre high trees, in a nose high attitude at a low forward airspeed, before falling to the ground below the trees. At impact neither engine was delivering power. The fuel system, which was found to be relatively intact, contained only nine litres of fuel. It was determined that the engines failed due to fuel starvation following the exhaustion of the usable fuel on board the aircraft. The pilot was then faced with attempting a landing in unsuitable terrain. Evidence indicates that the aircraft departed Jandakot with both the fuel quantity indicating systems unserviceable. Although the maintenance documentation for the aircraft did not indicate that these systems were unserviceable, it is believed that the pilot was aware of the maintenance state of the aircraft before DEPARTURE.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: BASI
Report number: 
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1986/aair/aair198600131/
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/27392/aair198600131.pdf

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
30-Aug-2015 06:33 aerocheck Added
11-Jul-2018 09:46 Pineapple Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
29-Nov-2021 08:22 Bob Updated [Time, Operator, Nature]
07-Jun-2022 20:19 Ron Averes Updated [Location]

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