Safety in the vicinity of non-towered aerodromes - Australian ...

8.4.4 Other recent investigations involving non-towered aerodrome
operations
Latrobe Valley Aerodrome (Vic.)
Investigation number AO-2007-065
An Avid Flyer ultralight aircraft and a Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft collided in mid air
within the circuit area of Latrobe Valley Aerodrome (non-towered). The pilot in the
Avid Flyer was fatally injured and the Cessna 172 landed safely.
Wee Waa Aerodrome (NSW)
Investigation number AO-2008-014
Two Air Tractor AT-502 agricultural aircraft collided in mid air whilst conducting
spraying operations near Wee Waa Aerodrome, which did not have an air traffic
service presence at the time of the accident. Both aircraft were seriously damaged,
and one of the pilots was fatally injured. The other pilot sustained serious injuries.
One aircraft was conducting aerial spraying over a field 10 km northeast of the
aerodrome. The other aircraft had just taken off from the aerodrome, and was
climbing to altitude. The aircraft were at an altitude of 200 ft AGL when they collided.
The aircraft collided because of the proximity of the area being sprayed by the first
aircraft to the runway, and the climb gradient of the second aircraft after takeoff.
Until immediately before the accident, neither pilot was aware of the other aircraft,
although visibility at the time was reported to be good. The investigation determined
that no radio broadcasts were made on the appropriate frequency by the aircraft, and
that the pilots had no knowledge of each other’s intended operations. This, combined
with the reliance on a visual traffic scan (unalerted see-and-avoid) contributed to the
pilots’ inadequate situational awareness.
Source: ATSB, 2010b
Figure 17: Wreckage of one of the Air Tractor aircraft
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