What happened
On the evening of 6 May, 1969, an Aero Commander 500S, registered VH-EXT, crashed approximately two miles west of Warracknabeal Aerodrome in Victoria. The aircraft, which was operated by Executive Air Services Pty. Ltd., was performing a scheduled commuter flight from Essendon to Warracknabeal.
The flight departed Essendon at 1836 hours under instrument flight rules. During the descent toward the destination, the pilot observed the lights of the town and the airfield. While flying the landing circuit on the base leg, the pilot was unable to identify the runway lights and decided to execute a go-around. At this stage, the landing gear remained extended.
During the second circuit, the pilot maintained an indicated altitude of 1,000 feet rather than climbing to ensure sufficient terrain clearance. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground, resulting in the near-total destruction of the airframe. Of the three people on board, one passenger sustained serious injuries, while the pilot and one other passenger suffered minor injuries.
Findings
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were clear with no cloud cover and visibility of 20 miles, though the night was noted as being very dark with a lack of a visible horizon. The aircraft was considered airworthy, and there were no issues regarding weight or center of gravity.
The investigation determined that the pilot failed to follow standard circuit procedures during the night approach. Specifically, the pilot did not utilize all available instrument and visual data to maintain necessary clearance from the terrain during the go-around maneuver.