ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 157006
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| Date: | Thursday 30 August 1979 |
| Time: | 15:13 |
| Type: |  Cessna P206C Super Skylane |
| Owner/operator: | R.P.M Transport |
| Registration: | VH-DSN |
| MSN: | P206-0452 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Shepparton, VIC -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Sheppatron, Victoria (YSHT) |
| Alice Springs Airport, NT (ASP/YBAS) | |
| Investigating agency: | BASI |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
At 1304 hours the pilot telephoned the Briefing Office at Essendon Airport from his home at Cobram and obtained the current meteorological forecasts for the Tocumwal/Essendon route. The area forecast indicated that a weak front was moving eastwards and was expected to have passed through Melbourne between 1000 and 1200 hours. North of the Great Dividing Range, scattered strato-cumulus cloud was expected with visibility decreasing to 10km in patchy rain. Isolated heavy showers with scattered low stratus cloud and visibility decreasing to 4000 metres were forecast south of the Divide. Broken strato-cumulus cloud, base 4500 feet AMSL, was forecast for the Kilmore Gap area and the Essendon terminal forecast provided for wind of 270°/15 knots, visibility 10 km, showers, two oktas stratus cloud base 1500 feet and five oktas cumulus cloud base 3000 feet.
The pilot telephoned the Briefing Office again at 1341 hours and submitted flight plan details for the flight from Tocumwal to Essendon and return. The details indicated that the estimated time of departure was 1430 hours, the time interval to Essendon was 58 minutes, the cruising altitude was below 5000 feet, the route was via Mangalore and Kilmore and the fuel endurance was 280 minutes. The pilot held a Class Four Instrument Rating but he was not qualified to fly in other than visual meteorological conditions. The flight plan details indicated the flight was in the VFR category.
At 1458 hours, the pilot established radio communication with Melbourne Flight Service Unit and
advised that he had departed Tocumwal at 1457 hours, was climbing to 4 000 feet on a track of 188°, and
estimated being over Mangalore at 1529 hours. He was given the area QNH (altimeter setting) and his
acknowledgement was the last communication received from the aircraft.
The aircraft was observed to take off to the west at Tocumwal, turn left and fly towards Cobram. An aircraft which may have been VH-DSN, was subsequently seen flying on a south-south-westerly heading at low height to the east of Wunghnu, some 20 km north of Shepparton. There were rain squalls and extensive low cloud in that area at the time.
In the Shepparton area, there were intermittent squalls from the west with wind gusts, heavy rain and low cloud. Shortly after a squall had passed, several persons located to the east of Shepparton heard intermittent and abnormal aircraft engine noise. One person observed an aircraft on a southerly heading emerge from a cloud formation, then perform a loop type manoeuvre from which it dived steeply to the ground whilst rotating in a clockwise direction. Several other persons observed the aircraft apparently emerge from the base of cloud at high speed, in a steep nose down attitude, and rolling to the right until it struck the ground.
Examination of the wreckage of the aircraft confirmed that it had struck the ground at high speed in a near vertical attitude and virtually disintegrated on impact. There was no evidence of any defect or malfunction which might have contributed to the accident.
A meteorological post analysis indicated that a disjointed cold front or trough lying NW/SE had moved eastwards across Victoria, at a speed of 20 knots. The passage of the trough was associated with isolated showers north of the ranges and scattered showers on and south of the ranges. As the trough moved eastwards, it encountered pockets of higher dew points which were not evident at the time of preparation of the forecasts issued prior to the accident, and more frequent showers, isolated and heavy, occurred. As the trough approached Shepparton, it encountered a pocket of higher dew points and scattered showers and a cloud base of 3000 feet developed. In the vicinity of the trough, isolated heavy showers occurred and the cloud base lowered to about 1500 feet with scattered stratus cloud about 800 feet. Local wind squalls of 20 to 30 knots were associated with the showers. There is evidence to suggest that the flight could probably have been completed in visual meteorological conditions if diversions around the shower areas had been made.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austcl/VH-DSN.html
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/5226427/197902803.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Jun-2013 08:49 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 23-Jun-2013 09:50 | Uli Elch | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Country, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Apr-2014 22:39 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Jul-2018 12:05 | Pineapple | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Jun-2022 02:50 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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