ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 235450
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| Date: | Friday 24 April 2020 |
| Time: | 07:10 |
| Type: |  Pacific Aerospace Cresco 08-600 |
| Owner/operator: | Ravensdown Aerowork |
| Registration: | ZK-LTK |
| MSN: | 030 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Carterton, Wairarapa -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Kourarua Hill, Carterton |
| Investigating agency: | TAIC |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from a private agricultural strip on a farm near Ruakiwi Road, Kourarau Hill, 20km southeast of Carterton.
The pilot of a Pacific Aerospace Cresco 08-600 aircraft, registered ZK-LTK, was conducting agricultural flight operations spreading superphosphate fertiliser on a farm in the Kourarau Hill area, near Masterton.
The airstrip was a typical topdressing airstrip, with a downward slope and a left bend of about 5 degrees partway down the strip, in the direction of take-off. The ground at the end of the airstrip dropped sharply away to a valley that ran perpendicular to the direction of the airstrip.
On the commencement of the third topdressing flight, witnesses reported, the aircraft accelerated normally from the loading point. However, the aircraft did not follow the direction of the airstrip around to the left, as it had done during the previous two flights. Instead, it continued in a straight line from the load point and subsequently struck uneven terrain off to the right of the airstrip. The impact with the uneven terrain caused the right main undercarriage assembly to fracture off and damage the right wing and flap.
The aircraft descended into the valley, striking a tree with the right-hand wing, then continued across the valley floor and impacted the far side of the valley, coming to rest inverted.
The aircraftwas destroyed by the impacts and a post-crash fire. The sole pilot occupant did not survive the accident sequence.
Conclusion
There was no evidence that the pilot attempted to take remedial action at any stage during the take-off sequence. A well trained and experienced agricultural pilot would be expected to recognise and take corrective action if their take-off path was to differ significantly from their previous take-off paths.
After an analysis of the available evidence and after dismissing those potential causes deemed to be unlikely, it was found that it was about as likely as not that the pilot was incapacitated early in the take-off roll, prior to the point that a turn was required to maintain the optimum line on the airstrip. There was no definitive evidence to support this finding directly; rather, the finding was reached through a process of eliminating the unlikely scenarios.
Sources:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12327227
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121238523/light-airplane-crashes-near-carterton-in-the-wairarapa
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/emergency-services-responding-light-plane-crash-near-carterton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAC_Cresco
https://www.ravensdown.co.nz/services/spreading/aerowork-aerial-spreading
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121238523/light-airplane-crashes-near-carterton-in-the-wairarapa
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/rural/2020/04/tributes-for-pilot-after-top-dressing-plane-crashes.html
https://times-age.co.nz/topdressing-pilot-in-fatal-crash-named/
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Media:
Images:
Masterton 20Sep2018
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Apr-2020 22:21 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 23-Apr-2020 22:26 | Geno | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Source] |
| 23-Apr-2020 23:13 | Captain Adam | Updated [Total fatalities, Narrative] |
| 24-Apr-2020 05:12 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 24-Apr-2020 06:08 | harro | Updated [Time] |
| 24-Apr-2020 07:28 | JMW69 | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 24-Apr-2020 14:58 | TB | Updated [Registration, Operator, Source, Damage] |
| 29-Apr-2020 12:24 | JMW69 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 30-Apr-2020 07:37 | CANCES | Updated [Registration, Cn] |
| 17-Jul-2020 12:49 | Anon. | Updated [Photo] |
| 01-Mar-2021 19:36 | harro | Updated [[Photo]] |
| 08-May-2021 17:31 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 05-Oct-2021 03:41 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 24-Mar-2022 08:31 | harro | Updated [Time, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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