ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 214000
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| Date: | Friday 13 January 1978 |
| Time: | 11:05 |
| Type: |  Cessna 182M Skylane |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | VH-EHU |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | 6km SE of Bunbury, WA -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | 6km SE of Bunbury, WA |
| Investigating agency: | BASI |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft's battery was found to be discharged and remained in this condition leading up to the accident. The pilot prepared the aircraft for hand starting and on this occasion he did not have the assistance of another pilot in the cockpit. He set the cockpit controls himself and while so doing pulled the handbrake lever to the "on" position. The left hand door, adjacent to the seat he was to occupy, was open.
The pilot swung the propeller and when the engine started he walked around the left hand wing strut and towards the open cabin door. Before he reached the door, however, the engine speed rose to a point at which tho aircraft began to move forward. The cabin door blew shut and attempts by the pilot to open the door while running alongside the aircraft were unsuccessful. He then threw himself across the left hand tailplane and clung there as the aircraft ran forward. There is some evidence that he manipulated the elevator to the down position and also deflected the rudder.
The aircraft left the aerodrome apron and moved towards the runway. Before reaching the runway it veered left and ran along on rough ground at the side of the strip. After passing the eastern threshold of the runway the aircraft traversed a ditch and the nose wheel was broken off. The aircraft then crossed a sealed road and entered another ditch where it came to an abrupt halt, having travelled about 300 metres.
The pilot was flung forward over the left mainplane and he struck the ground heavily just ahead of the aircraft. The unsecured passenger in the centre rear seat was thrown into the front section of the cabin, striking the windscreen but remaining within the aircraft. All four passengers left the aircraft without assistance.
Examination of the aircraft revealed that the handbrake lever was pulled out to the full extent of its travel and locked. The hand brake balance cable had failed because its load bearing capacity had been significantly reduced by fatigue cracking at a point where the cable passed over a small diameter pin. The effect of the failure of the balance cable would have been that the brakes, which were otherwise serviceable, either would not have been applied by operation of the hand brake lever, or, if already applied, would have released when the cable failed. It could not be established when failure of the balance cable had taken place.
A seat belt for the centre rear seat was fitted to the aircraft but was apparently out of sight under the seat when the passengers took their places.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1978/aair/197805157/
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/5226365/197805157.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Aug-2018 13:25 | Pineapple | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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