What happened
On 24 April 2020, a Pacific Aerospace Cresco 08-600, registered ZK-LTK, was performing agricultural duties involving the spreading of superphosphate fertilizer. The flight was operating out of a topdressing airstrip located in the Kourarau Hill region near Masterton. This specific strip featured a downward gradient and a slight left-hand bend during the takeoff roll.
During the third mission of the day, the aircraft began its takeoff roll from the loading area. While the initial acceleration appeared normal, the aircraft failed to navigate the leftward bend of the runway as it had during previous sorties. Instead, the aircraft maintained a straight path, deviating from the intended runway direction and striking uneven ground situated to the right of the strip.
This initial impact caused the right main landing gear to break away and inflicted damage to the right wing and flap. Following this, the aircraft descended into a nearby valley, where the right wing struck a tree. The aircraft continued its trajectory across the valley floor before hitting the opposite side of the valley, eventually coming to rest in an inverted position. The aircraft was destroyed by the force of the impacts and a subsequent fire. The sole pilot was killed in the accident.
Findings
- The aircraft failed to follow the curvature of the airstrip during takeoff.
- The departure from the runway path led to an impact with uneven terrain to the right of the strip.