ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 29296
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 October 1998 |
| Time: | 09:40 |
| Type: |  Aero Commander 500S Shrike Commander |
| Owner/operator: | Coral Sea Airlines |
| Registration: | VH-YJT |
| MSN: | 500S-3089 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Horn Island Airport, Horn Island, QLD -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Horn Island Airport, Queensland (HID/YHID) |
| Horn Island Airport, Queensland (HID/YHID) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A Shrike Commander departed Horn Island on a charter flight to Saibai and Boigu Islands in accordance with the visual flight rules (VFR). The flight to Saibai took 32 minutes, and a further 13 minutes to Boigu Island. The aircraft then departed Boigu to return to Horn Island with an expected flight time of 35 minutes.
The pilot reported that he had maintained 5,500 ft until commencing descent at 35 NM from Horn Island. He tracked to join final approach to runway 14 by 5 NM, reducing power at 1,500 ft. At 5 NM from the runway, the pilot extended the landing gear and approach flap and commenced a long final approach.
When the aircraft was approximately 3 NM from the runway both engines commenced to surge, with the aircraft initially yawing to the right. The pilot commenced engine failure procedures and retracted the flaps. He tried a number of times to determine which engine was losing power by retarding the throttle for each engine, before deciding that the right engine was failing. The pilot shut down that engine and feathered the propeller. A short time later, when the aircraft was approximately 200 ft above the water, the left engine also lost power. The pilot established the aircraft in a glide, advised the passengers to prepare for a ditching, and transmitted a MAYDAY report on the flight service frequency before the aircraft contacted the sea. The aircraft quickly filled with water and settled on the seabed. All five occupants were able to escape and make their way ashore.
The aircraft ditched approximately 400 m short of the threshold of runway 14, and settled in 2.5 m of water. It was subsequently recovered for examination. Although the aircraft had been damaged during the ditching, it remained essentially intact. The fuselage was distorted in front of and behind the cabin area as a result of impact forces. The underside of the fuselage had also been pushed upwards, and both windscreens were broken. The fuel tanks were intact, and the fuel tank vents were not obstructed.
Sources:
1. http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1998/aair/aair199804432.aspx
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_Island_Airport#Aircraft_crashes
3. https://sites.google.com/site/aerocommanderproductionlist/
4. http://baaa-acro.maleo.net/1998/archives/crash-of-a-rockwell-shrike-commander-500s-in-horn-island/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 20-Nov-2014 01:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 10-Jun-2022 04:47 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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