Orroroo - Orroroo
Flight / Schedule
Orroroo - Orroroo
Aircraft
De Havilland DHC-2 BeaverRegistration
VH-IDD
MSN
1532
Year of Manufacture
1963
Operator
Aerial AgricultureDate
September 20, 1989 at 12:22 PM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Spraying (Agricultural)
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Crash Location
Orroroo South Australia
Region
Oceania • Australia
Coordinates
-32.7339°, 138.6134°
Crash Cause
Human factor
Narrative Report
On September 20, 1989 at 12:22 PM, Orroroo - Orroroo experienced a crash involving De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, operated by Aerial Agriculture, with the event recorded near Orroroo South Australia.
The flight was categorized as spraying (agricultural) and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.
1 people were known to be on board, 1 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.
Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is human factor. The aircraft had been delayed in servicing and repair and had only been released six weeks prior to the accident. This delay had caused the operator/pilot to fall behind in his commitments and, according to some witnesses, caused him to worry about the situation. On the day of the accident, the pilot had just completed spraying a 243 hectare paddock and had landed to reload. After take-off for the new task, the pilot was seen to make an aerial inspection of the paddock before entering the first swath run. At the end of this run, the aircraft collided with a Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) powerline and crashed. It was later shown that the aircraft was in a bank to the right of about 18 degrees. The SWER line ran across one end of the paddock at an angle and on the crop side of a windmill just inside the fence which bordered the road. The line contacted the right maingear and outboard sprayboom attachment struts on the right wing. The wire broke after impact but the aircraft hit the ground heavily on the right main gear. The gear detached from the aircraft, the propeller struck the ground and the aircraft slewed around as it came to rest after some 27 metres of ground travel. The front half of the aircraft was destroyed by fire which broke out almost immediately the aircraft stopped. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Aircraft reference details include registration VH-IDD, MSN 1532, year of manufacture 1963.
Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -32.7339°, 138.6134°.
Fatalities
Total
1
Crew
1
Passengers
0
Other
0
Crash Summary
The aircraft had been delayed in servicing and repair and had only been released six weeks prior to the accident. This delay had caused the operator/pilot to fall behind in his commitments and, according to some witnesses, caused him to worry about the situation. On the day of the accident, the pilot had just completed spraying a 243 hectare paddock and had landed to reload. After take-off for the new task, the pilot was seen to make an aerial inspection of the paddock before entering the first swath run. At the end of this run, the aircraft collided with a Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) powerline and crashed. It was later shown that the aircraft was in a bank to the right of about 18 degrees. The SWER line ran across one end of the paddock at an angle and on the crop side of a windmill just inside the fence which bordered the road. The line contacted the right maingear and outboard sprayboom attachment struts on the right wing. The wire broke after impact but the aircraft hit the ground heavily on the right main gear. The gear detached from the aircraft, the propeller struck the ground and the aircraft slewed around as it came to rest after some 27 metres of ground travel. The front half of the aircraft was destroyed by fire which broke out almost immediately the aircraft stopped. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Cause: Human factor
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
1
Passengers On Board
0
Estimated Survivors
0
Fatality Rate
100.0%
Known people on board: 1
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Orroroo - Orroroo
Operator
Aerial AgricultureFlight Type
Spraying (Agricultural)
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Region / Country
Oceania • Australia
Aircraft Details
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