What happened
During a mission to transport staff back to an alluvial gold mine following a weekend, the first of four scheduled aircraft encountered difficult environmental conditions. As the flight approached its destination, the weather prevented a standard visual arrival, forcing the aircraft to remain in a holding pattern approximately five kilometers south of the airstrip while waiting for visibility to improve.
Upon proceeding toward the landing site, the pilot communicated with a following aircraft, noting that recent heavy rainfall had left the runway surface significantly wet. To ensure safety, the pilot announced an intention to perform a precautionary circuit to assess the strip's condition. Following this transmission, all contact with VH-TLQ was lost.
The wreckage of the aircraft type was later discovered in a state of combustion within a river valley, situated roughly 300 meters west of the runway 34 threshold. Evidence from the site indicated that the aircraft had collided with trees immediately prior to hitting the ground. The impact occurred at a low forward speed with a steep, nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. After the initial strike, the plane cartwheeled up rising terrain and came to rest in an inverted position 42 meters from the primary impact point. A fire following the crash resulted in the destruction of the cabin area. The accident resulted in fatalities (as implied by the context of the wreckage description) and no ground witnesses were present during the event.
Findings
An examination of the debris provided no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or component failures that contributed to the crash. Investigators were unable to identify the specific reason for the apparent loss of control experienced by the aircraft.