ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 213858
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| Date: | Saturday 12 October 1974 |
| Time: | 12:10 |
| Type: |  Victa Airtourer 115 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | VH-MUM |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Griffith, NSW -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | BASI |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On the day prior to the accident the aircraft was flown to Griffith by the pilot and was left with a maintenance organization for a 100 hourly inspection. The pilot has said that, on the following morning, the licensed aircraft maintenance engineer responsible for the inspection drew his attention to a slight oil leak from around the blanking plug at the forward end of the crankshaft and attempted to rectify the leak by using a hammer and punch. This has been denied by the engineer. The aircraft departed Griffith and climbed to a cruising altitude of 1000 to 1500 feet. After about 30 minutes a fine oil mist appeared on the windscreen and gradually increased until forward visibility became impaired. The pilot decided to return to Griffith and changed heading accordingly. Oil slicks were now appearing on the upper engine cowl and on the wings and forward vision became completely obscured. The pilot selected a large field below the aircraft and prepared to execute a precautionary landing. He obtained a limited amount of lateral vision by opening the canopy slightly. While the aircraft was banking, he was able to choose an approach path over pine trees but as soon as the wings were leveled he was unable to see ahead. He then became aware that the aircraft was on the point of stalling so lowered the nose and opened the throttle but the engine failed to respond. The left wing tip struck a tree branch and the aircraft landed heavily on the left main wheel and wing tip. The nose wheel entered rough ground and was torn off and the nose strut dug progressively into the ground causing the aircraft to nose over to an Inverted position after which It slid 46 metres. After the aircraft came to rest the pilot, with some difficulty, released himself and dragged his passenger clear of the wreckage. Subsequent examination of the wreckage revealed that a blanking plug was missing from the forward end of the crankshaft and this had allowed the inflight oil loss. The engine was completely exhausted of oil and was approaching the point of seizure. The failure of the engine to respond to throttle movement during the latter part of the approach was probably the result of complete blockage of the air intake filter by oil.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1974/aair/aair197401458/
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24680/197401458.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jul-2018 00:11 | Pineapple | Added |
| 03-Jun-2023 09:33 | Ron Averes | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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