On November 16, 2016, a Cessna Aircraft Company 208B (registration VH-LNH) operated by Aviair Pty Ltd was involved in an aviation accident near 8 km north-west of Solomon Airport, Western Australia. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: These findings should not be read as apportioning blame or liability to any particular organisation or individual. Safety issues, or system problems, are highlighted in bold to emphasise their importance. This summary draws on records from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
A Cessna 208B charter flight experienced an engine failure shortly after departing Solomon Airport for Karratha, forcing a landing on a dirt road in the Solomon mine precinct.
Incident Overview
On a charter flight within Western Australia, a Cessna 208B aircraft registered VH-LNH suffered a failure of its single-turbine engine. The flight had departed Solomon Airport bound for Karratha just a few minutes prior to the incident. At the time of the failure, the aircraft was climbing steadily.
Emergency Response
In response to the engine failure, the pilots assessed the situation and determined that the safest course of action was to conduct a forced landing. They selected a nearby dirt road located within the Solomon mine precinct as the landing site.
The aircraft made a successful forced landing onto the dirt road. No further details regarding the outcome of the landing or the condition of the occupants were provided in the source.