PAC Cresco 08-600 (08-750)

Ravensdown Aerowork

Crashed shortly after takeoff from a private field located about 20 km southeast of Carterton. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Aerospread

The pilot and the passenger were completing a top dressing mission in the region of Otane, south of Hastings, New Zealand. On final approach, the single engine aircraft seemed to be too low and hit tree tops before crashing nose down in a prairie. Both occupants were seriously injured and the aircraft was destroyed. It was dark at the time of the accident as the sunrise was computed at 0639LT.

Ravensdown Aerowork

The aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Waitaanga while completing a spraying mission between Taumatunui and Mount Messenger. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was seriously injured.

Wanganui Aero Work

On Sunday 14 December 2008, the aircraft departed from Stratford Aerodrome at 0630 hours for a transit flight to a farm airstrip near Tarata. Shortly after becoming airborne the pilot noticed the engine chip detector warning light on the instrument panel was illuminated. He diverted to the company maintenance base at Wanganui aerodrome for the defect to be rectified. The aircraft engineer found a light metallic fuzz on the engine magnetic (mag) plug. The fuzz was cleaned off and the mag plug refitted. The aircraft was released to service with a condition that a further inspection of the mag plug was to be performed after 10 hours flight time. The topdressing job, which involved the spreading of 450 tonnes of lime, had commenced on Thursday 11 December 2008 and continued on Friday 12 December 2008. No flying took place on Saturday 13 December 2008 due to a local horse-riding event being held on the farm property. The aircraft arrived at the farm airstrip at 0940 hours on the Sunday morning, and shortly thereafter commenced operations to complete the spreading of the lime. At the time of the accident, 423 tonnes of lime had been spread. The pilot flew a series of topdressing flights before needing to stop for the first refuel. When interviewed, the loader driver stated that the pilot informed him that he was having some difficulty with the lime product not flowing consistently from the aircraft hopper during the sowing runs. At approximately 1145 hours the pilot stopped again to refuel. On completion of the refuel, this gave the aircraft an estimated fuel load of 300 litres. The pilot completed a further two flights. On the third flight, the aircraft became airborne at the end of the airstrip and then descended 55 feet below the level of the airstrip where the aft fuselage struck a fence line. A concentration of lime along the aircraft’s take-off path indicated that the pilot had initiated an attempt to jettison his load at the end of the airstrip. Following the collision with the fence, the aircraft remained airborne for a further 450 metres before it impacted the side of a small hill in a slight nose down attitude. The aircraft then came to rest 12 metres to the left of the initial impact point. The accident occurred in daylight, at approximately 1155 hours NZDT, at Tarata, at an elevation of 410 feet amsl. Latitude: S39° 08.169', longitude: E174° 21.710'.

Thunderbirds International

The pilot was ferrying the aircraft under the visual flight rules (VFR) from the operator’s base at Tully, Qld to Ingham and return. The flights, conducted in the private category without passengers, were to allow aircraft maintenance to be conducted at Ingham. The flight from Tully to Ingham was conducted in the morning, with no reported difficulties. At 1454 Eastern Standard Time, the pilot departed Ingham on the return flight to Tully. The aircraft did not arrive at Tully. It was not until the next day that the pilot and aircraft were reported missing. Australian Search and Rescue (AusSAR) was notified and a search, based on the last air traffic control radar observed position of an unidentified aircraft from a replay of recorded radar data together with witness reports from the area, was initiated. Searchers located the aircraft wreckage on the morning of 18 August. The aircraft had impacted mountainous terrain in a state forest 24 km south of Tully. The pilot was fatally injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Fieldair

On 13 June 2001, Cresco ZK-TMO arrived at Te Aroha Station, 25 km west of Gisborne, to carry out topdressing of that property. Before operations started, the property owner briefed the pilot, and two observation flights over the areas to be sown were made. The owner also cautioned the pilot against turning left after take-off from the airstrip. Spreading commenced at 1600 hours, and 14 flights with 1800 kg loads were completed that day. The loader driver reported that no difficulties were experienced during those operations. Spreading recommenced at 0720 hours on 14 June 2001, again with 1800 kg loads, in an area to the left (east) of the airstrip. On the third flight after a refuel later in the morning, the loader driver noticed that the pilot made a partial load jettison after take-off; this resulted in a reduced duration of that sortie. However, on return, the pilot did not indicate to the loader driver that he required a reduced load. About 1145 hours, the aircraft was reloaded and commenced take-off. The loader driver watched about half the take-off roll, then continued preparing for the next load. He did not sight the aircraft again before a pall of black smoke attracted his attention. After making a radio call to the aircraft and hearing no response, the loader driver ran towards the smoke, which was to the left of and below the elevated strip. On reaching the site he found the aircraft inverted in a small stream and burning fiercely. The loader driver could see the pilot inside the aircraft but he and the property owner were unable to reach him because of the intense heat of the fire. The accident occurred in daylight, at approximately 1145 hours NZST, at Te Aroha Station; latitude S 38° 38.0' longitude E 177° 41.8', at an elevation of approximately 770 feet.

Pacific Aerospace

The pilot, sole on board, was completing a test flight on this first PAC Cresco 08-600 prototype. En route, the pilot lost control of the airplane after the tail detached. The single engine airplane entered a dive and while the pilot was able to parachute to safety, the airplane crashed and was destroyed.