The pilot of a Cessna 206 aircraft, and two passengers, were
returning to Weipa from Rockhampton.
They departed Rockhampton at about 1130 Eastern Standard Time on
the day before the accident, and landed to refuel at Charters
Towers. Witnesses reported that the pilot seemed to be in a hurry
and had stated his intention to fly to Weipa that day.
The pilot subsequently encountered severe smoke haze during the
flight. Reduced visibility in the smoke haze made visual navigation
difficult. Shortly before last light, the pilot saw an airstrip at
the pastoral property "Wrotham Park" and landed the aircraft. The
pilot believed he had landed at "Bellvue" until he was informed of
the correct location. The manager of "Wrotham Park" provided food
and overnight accommodation for the pilot and passengers.
At first light the following morning, the pilot taxied the
aircraft for takeoff from runway 24. While the aircraft was
taxiing, the station manager noticed that a bag belonging to one of
the aircraft occupants had been left behind. He drove out to the
aircraft and handed the bag to the pilot, who had left the aircraft
to collect it. Soon after, the pilot began the takeoff.
The aircraft was heard to take-off, followed by the sound of
impact.
Examination of the wreckage and assessment of the flight path
and impact sequence determined that shortly after lift-off the
aircraft yawed and rolled to the left, and began to descend. The
leading edge of the left wing struck a powerline 8 m above the
ground and about 100 m south-east of the runway centreline. The
aircraft then cartwheeled through the top of a building, and its
right side struck the ground while travelling slowly rearwards. It
came to rest on its right side, about 5 m from the building and
about 130 m south-east of the runway centreline. The passengers,
who occupied the right seats of rows one and two, were seriously
injured. The pilot was fatally injured.
One of the passengers later recalled hearing the stall warning
activate shortly after lift-off.
The right wing had been severed and the windscreen shattered;
however, the cockpit and cabin were almost intact. The wreckage
examination did not reveal any pre-impact technical defect that may
have contributed to the accident. Tests on fuel removed from the
aircraft tanks found it to be free of the contaminant ethylene
diamine.
Rescuers reported that the pilot was not restrained by a seat
belt when they arrived at the accident site.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority records indicated the pilot's
medical certificate was current. The autopsy and toxicology
analysis on the pilot did not reveal any pre-existing medical
condition that may have contributed to the accident.
The airfield at Wrotham Park was unlicensed. The field was 500
ft above mean sea level, and consisted of a single runway, 915 m in
length, designated 06/24. The surface was gravel and was in good
condition at the time of the accident. There were no obstructions
affecting the approach or departure flight paths in either
direction.
The Bureau of Meteorology assessed the weather conditions at the
time of the accident as fine with a light breeze of less than 5 kts
from the north-north-east. Visibility was assessed as good but with
a small chance of patches of fog. Visibility in fog, if present,
was assessed as approximately 500 m.
The pilot had flown about 22 hours in the aircraft, having
purchased it 6 weeks before the accident. He had no prior
experience on the aircraft type. The runway at Wrotham Park was
both the shortest, and the first gravel runway the pilot had used
in this aircraft. The pilot apparently did not fasten his seatbelt
after collecting the bag, indicating that he may have been under
some stress, possibly because he was concerned about the delay in
his return to Weipa.
Why the pilot lost control of the aircraft during the takeoff
could not be determined.