ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 317
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| Date: | Wednesday 13 March 1996 |
| Time: | 09:20 |
| Type: |  Cessna 337C Super Skymaster |
| Owner/operator: | Western Australia Police |
| Registration: | VH-FAM |
| MSN: | 337-0797 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mount Manypeaks, WA -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Aerial patrol |
| Departure airport: | Albany Airport, WA (ALH/YABA) |
| Albany Airport, WA (ALH/YABA) | |
| Investigating agency: | BASI |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Witness evidence indicates the aircraft and pilot were hired so the passengers, who were Federal and State police officers, could complete an aerial inspection of some unidentified drums located in a small bay at Manypeaks, 45 km east of Albany, Western Australia. An attempt to reach the drums on foot had failed because of dense undergrowth.
The pilots flight information sheet shows the flight departed Albany Airport at 09:01 WST. Passengers watches indicate the crash occurred between 09:20 and 09:25 WST. There were no witnesses to the route flown or the crash.
The aircraft was reported missing at 15:00 WST and the wreckage was located at 16:15 WST, on the slopes of Mount Manypeaks, on the edge of the bay containing the drums.
The investigation determined that neither engine was producing power at impact. The rear engine had been starved of fuel. It is probable that an unbalanced right turn caused unporting of the fuel line to the right sump.
As the right sump fuel contents approached the unusable level it is likely the rear engine began to surge rather then just lose all power immediately. Re-establishment of fuel supply from the auxiliary tank would have corrected the situation and prevented complete power loss. The pilot probably attempted to change the tank selection. The lack of fuel in the rear fuel supply lines indicates that this did not occur. Although there is no substantive evidence to explain the loss of power on the front engine it is possible the pilot inadvertently selected it off instead of selecting the rear engine to the auxiliary tank.
Failure of the rear engine alone may have been sufficient to cause the loss of control; particularly, if the pilot was distracted from flying the aircraft by the engine/fuel situation. Failure of both engines at a critical point in a maximum-performance turn in a confined area would almost certainly lead to loss of control.
The four persons on board, all of which were killed, were named as
John Bell (pilot)
Detective Senior Constable Charles A Scott (Western Australia Police)
Stephen Richard Hill (Western Australia Federal Agent)
Peter Siep (Customs Officer)
The low operating altitude probably prevented recovery from the loss of control situation before impact.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1996/aair/aair199600827.aspx
2. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.whaleworld.org/About_Whale_World/John_Bell/]
3. https://www.police.wa.gov.au/Aboutus/HonourRoll/tabid/1056/Default.aspx_
4. https://gunnies.com.au/node/671
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_Federal_Police_killed_in_the_line_of_duty
6. http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24878/ASOR199600827.pdf
7. https://www.facebook.com/supportaussiecops444/posts/354529721320437
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jan-2008 10:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 26-Apr-2014 19:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Apr-2014 22:02 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 31-May-2022 22:18 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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