No fatalities

2018-01-31: Cessna Aircraft Company U206G (VH-WZX) — Bush Pilots Australia — Apollo Bay Airfield, Victoria

Apollo Bay Airfield, Victoria

On January 31, 2018, a Cessna Aircraft Company U206G (registration VH-WZX) operated by Bush Pilots Australia was involved in an aviation accident near Apollo Bay Airfield, Victoria. 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. The go-around commenced late during the landing and the pilot did not immediately follow the go-around procedure. This summary draws on records from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

Sourcesthe Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)Primary reportUpdated 1779789049Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft bounced and drifted off the runway, then during a go-around the pilot did not follow proper flap retraction, leading to a fence strike and subsequent tree impact.

Sequence of Events

After the initial bounce and a right drift off the sealed runway, the pilot did not initiate a go-around. The aircraft floated over the grass fly-over area until, with approximately one quarter of the runway remaining, it bounced again. Only then did the pilot elect to go around.

Go-Around Procedure

Upon commencing the go-around, the pilot did not immediately retract the flaps to the 20-degree position as specified in the aeroplane flight manual. It is likely that this deviation, combined with the upslope of the runway and the heavy load of the aircraft, prevented the aircraft from climbing sufficiently to clear the airfield boundary fence. The aircraft subsequently struck the fence.

After the fence strike, the pilot again did not follow the correct go-around procedure. The pilot raised the flaps to 10 degrees before allowing the aircraft speed to increase and before ensuring all obstacles were cleared. This flap retraction resulted in a loss of lift, which caused the aircraft to descend and impact the canopy of a tree located 225 meters beyond the airfield boundary fence.

Final Descent

The tree impact occurred as a direct consequence of the premature flap retraction, which reduced lift at a critical moment. The investigation noted that the aircraft was heavily loaded and the runway had an upslope, both of which likely compounded the climb performance limitations during the go-around.