Accident CPC Fletcher FU-24-950M ZK-BIK,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 72395
 
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Date:Monday 12 November 1984
Time:c. 11:25
Type:Silhouette image of generic FU24 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
CPC Fletcher FU-24-950M
Owner/operator:Fieldair Holdings (Northern) Ltd
Registration: ZK-BIK
MSN: 38
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Okoroire, Waikato -   New Zealand
Phase: Take off
Nature:Agricultural
Departure airport:Farm airstrip
Destination airport:Farm airstrip
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative:
Pilot: John Stuart Munro R.I.P.

The aircraft was engaged in an aerial topdressing operation on a farm near Matamata, sowing a mixture of superphosphate and lime along with some other ingredients .

After about two hours of normal operations a break was taken while the farm fertilizer bin was replenished from a truck. This was taken as an opportunity to refuel the aircraft. After the truck had departed the aircraft was loaded with 22 hundredweight ( cwt ) of fertilizer mixture and the 14th flight of the day was commenced. The loader driver lost sight of the plane after it took off and was reloading for the next sortie when he noticed that the fertilizer truck had stopped halfway down the farm road. The truck driver came running back to say that the plane had crashed.

The aircraft was found on the side of a gully about 250 metres from the end of the airstrip. It was completely wrecked but there was no fire. This was not a survivable accident. The pilot was killed instantly.

Evidence showed that the plane had failed to attain takeoff speed and had lifted off briefly then settled back, striking the rear fuselage heavily against the ground and then running through the fence at the end of the strip in a nose high attitude. It became airborne again colliding with a tree while in a 90-degree bank to the right and dived steeply into the gully.

The weather was partly cloudy with a northerly wind of 3 to 5 knots. The visibility was good. Weather does not seem to be a factor.

The investigator found that the aircraft was grossly overloaded and that the C of G was 28 mm beyond the aft limit. This overloading was believed to be due to approx. 200 kg (3.92 cwt) of fertilizer remaining in the hopper from previous flights and the fact that the weighing equipment on the loader was under-reading. When both pilot and loader driver believed that there was 22 cwt aboard there was actually an estimated hopper load of 27.68 cwt.




Sources:

http://www.dave.wise.btinternet.co.uk/DWFletcher.htm
Aircraft Accident Report No. 84-114

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
26 November 1977 ZK-BIK Thames Aerial Topdressing Co Ltd 0 near Gisborne, East Coast sub
9 October 1978 ZK-BIK Thames Aerial Topdressing Co Ltd 0 Paerata, Auckland sub

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
07-Feb-2010 10:14 TB Added
09-Feb-2010 10:37 TB Updated [Aircraft type]
19-Oct-2010 19:23 angels one five Updated [Date, Location, Phase, Narrative]
14-Dec-2010 13:47 TB Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Narrative]
27-Feb-2014 16:59 Anon. Updated [Narrative]
31-Jan-2017 21:57 angels one five Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
31-Jan-2017 22:18 angels one five Updated [Narrative]
31-Jan-2017 22:41 angels one five Updated [Narrative]
31-Jan-2017 22:55 angels one five Updated [Narrative]
02-Feb-2017 08:11 angels one five Updated [Narrative]
14-Feb-2022 21:43 Ron Averes Updated [Location]

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