What happened
On a day performing aerial topdressing at Orari Gorge Station, located approximately 16 km north-northwest of Geraldine in Canterbury, an aircraft with registration ZK-DZA was involved in a fatal accident. The Fletcher had been conducting fertilizer distribution since early morning, completing roughly 100 sorties. During the day, the engine had experienced two instances of stalling while idling on the ground, which the pilot attributed to vapor lock caused by warm temperatures.
At approximately 16:55, the aircraft departed for a final mission involving the distribution of selenium pellets and superphosphate. The flight's weight and center of gravity were within legal parameters. Roughly five minutes after takeoff, a ground worker heard an impact and spotted the plane on a hillside about one kilometer away. Another witness observed the aircraft flying away from their position, dropping a small amount of fertilizer before performing an unusual lateral maneuver and striking the ground.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene within minutes to find the Fletcher destroyed. The wreckage was located on a steep, grassy slope at an altitude of 1,700 feet. The aircraft hit the terrain in a landing attitude with a high sink rate and a leftward drift. The impact caused severe structural damage, including the separation of the main landing gear and the displacement of the engine. There were 1 fatality and no other occupants on board.
Findings
Investigations into the crash revealed that the weather conditions were calm with high cloud cover. A mechanical inspection of the engine showed no signs of power loss during the flight. While the aircraft had experienced ground-based engine stalls earlier in the day, there was no evidence of a failure in flight. The investigation concluded that the pilot likely suffered a heart attack due to pre-existing coronary heart disease, leading to sudden incapacitation and an attempted emergency landing.