ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-4A Caribou A4-185 A Ro
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Wednesday 18 November 1964
Time:10:25
Type:Silhouette image of generic DHC4 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
de Havilland Canada DHC-4A Caribou
Operator:Royal Australian Air Force - RAAF
Registration: A4-185
MSN: 185
First flight: 1964
Total airframe hrs:382
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:A Ro (   Vietnam)
Phase: Landing (LDG)
Nature:Military
Departure airport:?
Destination airport:?
Narrative:
The Caribou was dispatched to delivered a load to a beleaguered military outpost at A Ro.
Arriving over A Ro, the pilot could not operate the pendulum release mechanism to drop the cargo load. The outpost suggested that the pilot land with his load, so he checked the field dimensions and carried out a missed approach to assess the nature of the strip.
The pilot considered the airfield adequate and attempted to land. Once on the ground the pilot was committed to the use of reverse thrust, due to the ineffectiveness of wheel brakes on the moist runway.
Mud spray thrown onto the windscreen, blinding the crew. They aircraft then ran over a ditch, causing the right-hand undercarriage to collapse.

Probable Cause:

The basic cause of this accident is pilot error, in that the decision to land in the particular circumstances was incorrect. A contributory factorwas the sustained use of reverse which resulted in the pilot being blinded by mud spray thrown onto the windscreen as the IAS decreased during the landing roll (faulty technique).

Accident investigation:

Investigating agency: Dept of Air
Status: Investigation completed
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Runway mishap

Sources:
» Australian Military Aircraft Serials and Aircraft History web site
» DeHavilland Caribou Roster


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This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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