What happened
On the night of the accident, an IAI 1124 Westwind, registered VH-IWJ, was operating a scheduled cargo service for Pel-Air Aviation Pty Ltd on behalf of Ansett Air Freight. The aircraft had arrived in Sydney from Cairns via Brisbane earlier that evening and had been refueled and loaded with general cargo. The flight crew, which included the company's Chief Pilot and a co-pilot being evaluated for command status, intended to fly to Brisbane following Instrument Flight Rules.
After receiving clearance for the 16 West Maitland One departure, the aircraft departed from Runway 16 at approximately 0056 hours. During the initial climb, the pilot requested a direct track to Brisbane, a request that was likely to be granted due to the aircraft's VLF/Omega navigation capabilities. Following an acknowledgment of the controller's comment regarding the direct route, no further communications were received from the crew. Shortly after 0059 hours, the aircraft disappeared from radar screens approximately 11 kilometers southeast of Sydney Airport.
Witnesses near the coast observed lights descending rapidly toward the ocean, noting that the lights did not rotate, suggesting a lack of aircraft attitude control. Search and rescue operations were initiated at 0100 hours. While wreckage was initially spotted by helicopter, heavy seas prevented immediate recovery. The wreckage was eventually located in 92 meters of water in January 1986, with the flight data and cockpit voice recorders recovered during subsequent operations.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several critical factors leading to the loss of control at an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet:
- A known malfunction existed within the rate of turn indicator.
- The pilot in command may have simulated a simultaneous failure of all three flight attitude indicators.
- The crew lacked external visual references to determine the aircraft's orientation during the descent.
- The aircraft struck the water at high speed, and the crew failed to regain control before impact.