Flight Details
The aircraft was the first of four aircraft returning staff to an alluvial gold mine after a weekend break. The weather at the destination was not suitable for a visual arrival, so the aircraft was initially held for several minutes five kilometres south of the strip, awaiting improvement.
Accident Sequence
The aircraft then flew towards the strip. The pilot reported to a following aircraft that there had been a lot of rain and that the strip looked wet. He also advised that he intended to carry out a precautionary circuit to check if it was safe to land. No further transmissions were received from VH-TLQ.
Wreckage and Survivor Accounts
The wreckage was subsequently found burning in a river valley, 300 metres west of the threshold of runway 34. Surviving passengers stated that the aircraft struck trees shortly before impact. There were no ground witnesses. The aircraft had impacted the ground in a steep nose-down, left-wing-low attitude at low forward speed, then cartwheeled up rising ground before coming to rest inverted, 42 metres from the point of impact. The cabin area was destroyed by an ensuing fire.
Examination and Probable Cause
An inspection of the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical defect or failure that could have contributed to the accident. The reasons for the apparent loss of control of the aircraft could not be determined.