What happened
On the evening of the accident, VH-AAV, a scheduled flight from Sydney to Temora and Condobulun, prepared for departure from Runway 25 at Sydney Airport. After receiving clearance and taxiing to the holding point, the aircraft commenced its takeoff roll at approximately 1907 hours. Shortly after becoming airborne and crossing the intersection of Runway 16/34, the pilot reported a loss of the left engine and requested an immediate landing on Runway 34.
As the crew attempted to manage the emergency, the aircraft entered a shallow left turn while maintaining a low altitude of approximately 150 feet AGL. During this period, the aircraft was in close proximity to another aircraft, a Boeing 727, which was on approach for the same runway. The flight path of VH-AAV descended toward the water near Botany Bay, eventually converging toward the sea wall of the Runway 16/34 extension. During the final descent, the aircraft maintained a nose-high attitude and flew at an extremely low altitude, with the right propeller likely making contact with the water.
The aircraft ultimately struck the sea wall in a nose-up, left-banking position. The impact caused the left wing to disintegrate and triggered a massive post-crash fire fueled by spilled fuel. The force of the collision caused the right engine and outboard section of the right wing to separate from the fuselage. The remaining wreckage bounced over the sea wall, landed upside down on a taxiway, and slid backward. The accident resulted in 13 fatalities.
Findings
While an official cause was not finalized, investigators noted that the aircraft was operating in a reduced power configuration where single-engine performance was critical to handling. Key findings included:
- The left engine failure likely resulted from the ingestion of water-contaminated fuel.
- Elemental analysis suggested that water had been present in the fuel system for an extended period, though the exact source or method of accumulation remained unknown.
- It was uncertain if a fuel drain check had been performed by the pilot prior to departure.
- The crew was managing a high workload in the cockpit at the moment of the engine failure.