What happened
A charter flight, operating on behalf of the BHP Canningly mine, departed from Townsville at 06:30 EST and arrived at its destination at 08:40. Following a period of refueling and the loading of seven passengers and baggage, the aircraft prepared for its next departure at approximately 09:45. During the takeoff sequence on runway 36, the crew completed all necessary pre-flight checks and the aircraft successfully became airborne.
As the aircraft was accelerating and climbing, the landing gear was retracted. During this transition, the left engine suffered a sudden loss of power, accompanied by an audible noise described as a buzz saw. This failure caused an immediate loss of altitude along with simultaneous rolling, pitching, and yawing motions. To preserve directional control, the pilot reduced power on the right engine.
The pilot intended to continue the flight and land the aircraft beyond the runway end with the gear still retracted. However, the left wingtip collided with a steel fence post, causing the aircraft to spin to the left. The aircraft then struck a low earth bank while moving sideways and backwards. Upon stopping, the pilot observed that the windows were obscured and suspected a fire. After an unsuccessful attempt to open the main cabin door, the seven passengers were evacuated through the emergency exit. No fatalities or injuries were reported during the incident.
Findings
The primary factor in the accident was the sudden loss of power from the left engine during the gear retraction phase of takeoff.