Flight Details
The aircraft departed Polo Flat at 0750 hours on a planned flight to Khancoban, Talbingo, and return. The crew consisted of pilot John Howard, and passengers Evelyn Anne Harvey and Patricia Joy Harvey.
Weather Conditions
At the time of departure, dense fog was present at Polo Flat. The aircraft took off and climbed through the fog until reaching clear conditions above. At Cooma Aerodrome, fog that had existed earlier dissipated around 0715 hours, and the weather there remained clear. When the aircraft returned to the Polo Flat area shortly after 0930 hours, fog was still present but was beginning to break, with patches of blue sky visible from time to time. Information regarding the weather conditions was communicated to the pilot, who had established radio contact with the base operations officer at Polo Flat.
Accident Sequence
Shortly after the aircraft arrived in the area, it was observed to make what appeared to be a landing approach to the north. When it descended to a height of 10 to 15 feet, the approach was discontinued and the aircraft climbed away. After flying for some time above the fog at a height of about 500 feet, the aircraft was heard approaching from the south. The operations officer heard the pilot transmit the words 'hit the...', and shortly afterwards the sound of an impact was heard. The port wing of the aircraft had struck a radio transmitter mast 32 feet from the top. The aircraft then crashed to the ground in a steep nose-down attitude some 146 metres north of the mast. A fierce fire developed shortly after impact.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the accident was that the aircraft was operated at an unsafe height in weather conditions in which the pilot was not able to maintain the visual reference necessary to ensure adequate clearance from obstructions.