Piper PA28-161, VH-MHE, Schofields NSW, 13 September 1987

The pilot had been authorised to carry out circuit and landing practice. He had been operating for about 20 minutes when witnesses observed that immediately after lift-off from a touch and go landing, the aircraft assumed a higher than normal nose attitude. At an height of between 100 and 150 feet above the runway, the engine noise ceased and the aircraft pitched forward to a steep nose down attitude. This attitude was maintained until the aircraft impacted the ground, before coming to rest 50 metres to the right of the runway centreline. A subsequent investigation determined that the pilot had probably suffered a heart attack at about the point of lift-off, resulting in incapacitation and loss of aircraft control.