ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 63249
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Thursday 7 December 1961 |
| Time: | c. 0930 |
| Type: |  Cessna 180 Skywagon |
| Owner/operator: | Rangitikei Air Services Ltd |
| Registration: | ZK-BJE |
| MSN: | 31257 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Pungatawa, Whanganui 4 -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | W.J.Gilbert farm airstrip |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
Pilot: Donald Arthur Wallis (21).
R.I.P.
Pungatawa located 9 miles east of Taihape.
Shortly after the Cessna 180 took off on a topdressing run the attention of a witness on the ground was drawn by the sound of a rifle-like "crack", and the aircraft was seen to dive into the ground.
It impacted in a small artificial pond and was wrecked. Fire did not occur. The pilot was killed instantly.
The wreck of the plane was removed from the pond and examined by the crash investigator.
The loud report heard from the aircraft immediately before the loss of control suggested structural failure.
Examination of the engine and propeller showed that the engine was at full power at the moment of impact.
Two aspects of the damage to the airframe presented themselves at once.
First, a fracture of the port main-plane rear spar. After further investigation it was concluded that this fracture was the result of impact forces in the crash.
Secondly, a transverse fracture was found in the fuselage at Station 172. This also was, after examination, judged to be a result of the ground impact.
The possibility of a runaway trim was considered.
The trimming control was found to be in the full " tail heavy " position, a setting that would not normally be used for take off with a 7 hundredweight load in the hopper.
The investigator felt that such an occurrence might be very difficult for an inexperienced pilot to handle and avoid a stall.
The investigator concluded " The possibility must remain that the tailplane trim "ran away" while the aircraft was in a steep turn and that the immediate effect of this was to cause the aircraft to stall",
and " There is no evidence to show that the pilot was directly responsible for the occurrence of the accident."
Aircraft Accident Report No. 25/3/1197.
Sources:
http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=7333
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-May-2009 12:58 | XLerate | Added |
| 14-Jun-2011 04:12 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Damage, Narrative] |
| 15-May-2013 19:30 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 04-Feb-2022 06:04 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Narrative] |
| 15-Feb-2022 02:00 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation