.

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA-BUREAU OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATION REFERENCE NO,

AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION SUMMARY REPORT si/si2/io36
1, LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE

Elevation:
B a r r i n g t o n Tops area, N.S.W. Unknown

Date: 9.8.81 Time: 1940 hours Zone: EST

2, THE AIRCRAFT

Make and Model: C e s s n a 210M Registration: VH-MDX

Certificate of Airworthiness: Issued on 3 . 2 . 7 8

-—Certificate__ol_Registration Isjsued_tp: Operator:

Degree of Damage to Aircraft: Other Property Damaged:

Presumed d e s t r o y e d Ni1 reported

Defects discovered:
A i r c r a f t not located

3. THE FLIGHT

Departure Point: Coolangatta Time of departure: 1701 h o u r s

Destination: Bankstown

Purpose of flight: T r a v e l Class of Operation: Private

THE CREW

Name Status Age Class of Hours on Total Degree of

Licence Type Hours Injury

Pilot Seni or 28 3412 Presumed

Commercia 1 fatal

5, OTHER PERSONS (ALL PASSENGERS AND PERSONS INJURED ON GROUND)

Name Status Degree of Injury

Passenger Presumed fatal
Passenger Presumed fatal
Passenger Presumed fatal
Passenger Presumed fatal
 AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION SUMMARY REPORT (CONT) REFERENCE NO
SI/812/1036

6. R E L E V A N T E V E N T S

The aircraft was engaged in a f l i g h t from Proserpine to Bankstown

with an intermediate stop at Coolangatta. On arrival at Coolangatta the
aircraft was r e f u e l l e d and the p i l o t attended the B r i e f i n g Office, where
he was provided with copies of the relevant weather forecasts for the
r e m a i n i n g part of the f l i g h t . These forecasts i n d i c a t e d a strong west-
southwesterly a i r f l o w over northern New South W a l e s , w i t h c o n s i d e r a b l e
low l e v e l cloud to the west of the m o u n t a i n s but only scattered strato-
c u m u l u s or c u m u l u s up to 6000 feet to the east and over the coast. The
freezing level was expected to be between 4000 and 7000 feet above mean
sea l e v e l , and moderate icing was forecast in cloud above that l e v e l .
A SIGMET (forecast of significant weather which may affect aircraft
safety) was current, i n d i c a t i n g occasional severe t u r b u l e n c e existed
below 12,000 feet to the east of the m o u n t a i n s .
The p i l o t h e l d a current Class 3 Instrument R a t i n g , w h i c h e n t i t l e d
him to make the f l i g h t under the Instrument F l i g h t Rules (IFR). The
aircraft was also approved for IFR operations, but not for f l i g h t in
known or forecast icing conditions, as it was not equipped with suitable
airframe d e - i c i n g e q u i p m e n t . The p i l o t elected to conduct the f l i g h t
in accordance w i t h the v i s u a l meteorological c o n d i t i o n s at n i g h t ( N i g h t
VMC) procedures. He submitted a f l i g h t p l a n w h i c h i n d i c a t e d he intended
to track a l o n g the coast to Taree, then i n l a n d via Craven, S i n g l e t o n and
Mt. McQuoid in order to avoid controlled and military restricted areas
surroundi ng W i l l i a m t o w n
After d e p a r t i n g Coolangatta the f l i g h t proceeded w i t h o u t recorded
i n c i d e n t to Taree. At t h i s p o i n t the p i l o t reported to Sydney F l i g h t
Service Centre that he was c r u i s i n g at 8000 feet and e s t i m a t i n g overhead
S i n g l e t o n at 1930 hours EST. At the suggestion of F l i g h t S e r v i c e and
with the agreement of the p i l o t , F l i g h t Service and Sydney Air Traffic
Control then began to co-ordinate a clearance to a l l o w the aircraft to
c o n t i n u e to track, more d i r e c t l y , via the coast and transit the
W i l l i a m t o w n m i l i t a r y areas, however t h i s c l e a r a n c e was delayed because
of uncertainty regarding the amount of cloud and general weather
conditions to the south of W i l l i a m t o w n . Some 8 m i n u t e s after passing
Taree the p i l o t a d v i s e d that he would continue on his p l a n n e d track
rather than hold to the north of W i l l i a m t o w n pending the issuing of a
clearance. He subsequently reported when passing the Craven p o s i t i o n ,
and a d v i s e d that the aircraft was e x p e r i e n c i n g " c o n s i d e r a b l e turbulence
now and q u i t e a lot of downdraught". F i v e m i n u t e s later, at 1924 hours
EST, the p i l o t reported that the aircraft had entered c l o u d . He
requested a clearance to c l i m b to 10,000 feet and.shortly afterwards
a d v i s e d that the primary f l i g h t instruments, i.e. the a r t i f i c i a l horizon
and the gyroscopically controlled direction indicator had failed.
/
Search and Rescue procedures were i n i t i a t e d and at 1928 hours the
aircraft was i d e n t i f i e d by radar. At this time the aircraft was near
the B a r r i n g t o n Tops, some 58 km north of S i n g l e t o n , and about 40 km
northwest of the planned track. This information was relayed to the
p i l o t , who a d v i s e d that he was h a v i n g d i f f i c u l t y in c l i m b i n g to 8500
feet. At 1934 hours he i n d i c a t e d that the aircraft was no longer in
c l o u d , however it had accumulated "a fair amount of ice". He continued
to report strong t u r b u l e n c e and further ice accretion, and i n d i c a t e d
that the aircraft was descending rapidly. The last recorded transmissio
from the aircraft was at 1939 hours, when the p i l o t advised the aircraft
was at five thousand feet. Radar contact with the aircraft was also los
at t h i s time.
"I AIRCRAFT A C C I D E N T I N V E S T I G A T I O N SUMMARY R E P O R T (CONT) R E F E R E N C E NO
SI/812/1036

6. RELEVANT EVENTS

An e x t e n s i v e air and ground search was i m m e d i a t e l y commenced

and c o n t i n u e d for 10 days w i t h o u t success. S u b s e q u e n t l y the search
has been reactivated on a number of occasions in response to reports
of wreckage b e i n g s i g h t e d . However, no trace of the aircraft or its
occupants has been found.

7. RELEVANT FACTORS
I

The c a u s e o f t h e a c c i d e n t h a s n o t been d e t e r m i n e d b u t
s e v e r e t u r b u l e n c e , i c i n g and a f a i l u r e of the
a i r c r a f t ' s primary f l i g h t instruments are probable
factors.

Approved for publication under the Date:

provisions of Air Navigation
Regulation 283(1) ' ( P . E . Ctrtiquenot) Director 28.9.83