What happened
Prior to the accident, the aircraft had completed a flight from Aurukun to Weipa. During this previous leg, the chief pilot was present in the left seat, but departed the aircraft at Weipa, leaving the second pilot to perform practice circuits before returning to Aurukun. At the time of the chief pilot's departure, the fuel levels consisted of 100 L in each main tank and approximately 90 L in each wing tip tank.
On the day of the accident, the pilot replenished the tanks with an additional 200 L of fuel at Aurukun before transporting passengers to Weipa. Approximately 50 minutes before sunset, the aircraft began its departure from runway 30 for the planned 25-minute journey back to Aurukun. During the initial climb, once the aircraft reached an altitude of roughly 300 ft, an observer noted that the engine noise ceased and the aircraft's pitch transitioned from a nose-high climb to a level attitude. Following a period of audible engine power surges, the aircraft rolled to the left and entered a spiral descent. The aircraft type impacted level ground approximately 350 m past the end of runway 30 and 175 m left of the extended centerline. The crash resulted in six fatalities.
Findings
Witness accounts indicate that the engine power ceased during the climb, followed by irregular engine surges before the aircraft lost control and entered a spiral descent.