What happened
On the morning of April 19, 2002, an aircraft was performing topdressing operations on a property located south-east of Masterton. The flight operations began at 0735 hours, with the pilot and a loader driver traveling to the airstrip from Masterton earlier that morning. Following a scheduled break between 0935 and 1000 hours, the pilot commenced a second sortie at 1001 hours. While the first flight of the morning was completed without incident, the aircraft failed to return as scheduled during the subsequent mission.
Witnesses on the ground, including a farmer and two fencing contractors, observed an unidentified object falling from the aircraft and fluttering toward the earth. Shortly after this, one of the contractors noticed that the aircraft appeared to be missing its tail. The aircraft was seen climbing and then veering toward the left before striking the ground near the crest of a ridge. The impact caused the aircraft to burst into flames.
A farmer working in the valley observed the smoke and traveled to the crash site via motorcycle. Upon arrival, he observed the center section of the aircraft type burning intensely and noted several explosions occurring within the wreckage. Although the pilot was not immediately visible, the pilot's body was later discovered among the debris. The crash occurred at approximately 1013 hours at an elevation of 1240 feet, approximately 12 km south-south-east of Masterton.
Findings
- The object observed falling from the aircraft prior to the crash was identified as the vertical stabilizer.
- The 1 fatality occurred as a result of the aircraft striking the terrain and subsequent fire.
- The loss of the vertical stabilizer during the flight phase was the primary factor leading to the loss of control and the subsequent impact.