What happened
On the scheduled domestic service traveling from Hamilton to Melbourne via Warrnambool, Victoria, the aircraft arrived at Warrnambool at 2159 hours GMT. Following a 17-minute ground stop involving changes to the aircraft load, the flight prepared for departure on runway 31. All pre-takeoff inspections were completed without any identified issues.
During the initial climb phase, before the landing gear could be retracted, the aircraft experienced a sudden reduction in engine power. The pilot-in-command identified a failure in the port engine and proceeded to feather the propeller. However, it was subsequently discovered that the starboard engine was also producing only partial power, leaving the crew with insufficient thrust to maintain altitude.
The crew identified an appropriate landing site consisting of level terrain. The aircraft performed an emergency landing into grassy paddocks with the landing gear and flaps retracted. During the descent and ground roll, the aircraft struck three fences before coming to a complete stop. There were zero fatalities among the occupants, though the aircraft type was destroyed in the accident.
Findings
Investigations into the incident determined that while the pilot attempted to manage the engine failure, the procedures followed led to an error in identifying which engine was malfunctioning. Specifically, the pilot-in-command feathered the propeller after following a sequence that failed to ensure the correct identification of the defective engine.