Date:	Monday 12 March 1990
Time:
Type:	GAF Nomad N.24A
Owner/operator:	Royal Australian Air Force - RAAF
Registration:	A18-401
MSN:	128
Year of manufacture:	1982
Total airframe hrs:	433 hours
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	near Mallala, SA -   Australia
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Edinburgh RAAF Station, SA (YPED)
Destination airport:	Edinburgh RAAF Station, SA (YPED)

Narrative:
The GAF Nomad N.24A transport plane was destroyed in an accident near Mallala, SA, Australia. The pilot was killed.
The tail plane broke off in flight and the aircraft crashed. The aircraft was allocated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU).

After being manufactured in 1982, the airplane was used by GAF (renamed Aerospace Technologies of Australia - ASTA in 1987) for testing. Amongst others, service records indicated 177 hours of single engine ground running. This meant that the airplane was subjected to many high frequency asymmetric cycles.
Cracks initiated and grew predominately due to torsional loading. Upon delivery to the RAAF, the airplane was inspected but this failed to detect significant cracking.
The tailplane centre section failed in flight, 19 hours after the inspection.

Investigation of Nomad inflight tailplane failure / Australia DoD
Scramble Vol.12, nr.02

Date/time	Contributor	Updates