Further Official update information
Cessna 402C collided with trees during aborted take-off at a non-certified field near Papa Lealea, about 16nm North – West of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Occurrence details
On 26 July 2020, at 12:46 local time (02:46 UTC1), a Cessna 402C aircraft, registered VH-TSI, impacted trees during an aborted take-off at an uncommissioned field near Papa – Lealea, about 16nm North-West of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Figure 1: Depiction of accident location in relation to Jackson’s airport, Port Moresby
At about 09:30 that day, the aircraft departed Mareeba, Queensland, Australia and tracked towards the North North-East with a track set slightly left of Jacksons International Airport. The pilot reported that he had flown to and within Papua New Guinea in the past and was familiar with the area and airspace. He confirmed that after departure, he switched off the transponder2.
The pilot reported that as soon as the aircraft neared the Southern shoreline (within the Caution Bay area), he diverted left and began tracking towards the North West (see Figure 2) along the coast to avoid flying over villages in the area. The aircraft subsequently crossed over land before turning back to approach the intended landing field.
The pilot stated that as he approached to land from the North, the outboard section of the left wing was clipped by a tree and separated from the aircraft and he managed to continue with the approach and touched down on the field at about 12:20.
The pilot stated that the aircraft was refuelled with aviation gasoline (AvGas) using jerrycans full of fuel and loaded with cargo by persons waiting on the ground.
According to the pilot, the field offered enough distance for take-off and at about 12:40, he commenced his take-
1 The 24-hour clock, in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), is used in this report to describe the local time as specific events occurred. Local time in the area of the accident, Pacific/Port Moresby Time is UTC + 10 hours.
2 Radio device which when triggered by correct received signal sends out precoded reply on same (rarely different) wavelength (Source: Cambridge Aerospace dictionary)
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off roll from the Southern end of the field. However, as the aircraft took off, he noticed that the airspeed indicator was not working and that the aircraft couldn’t achieve a positive rate of climb. The pilot subsequently closed the throttles and aborted the take off. The aircraft touched down about 850 m into the field, colliding with trees during its landing roll.
The pilot reported he was the sole occupant of the aircraft, and sustained minor injuries.
The aircraft was substantially damaged.
Figure 2: VH-TSI track towards the field using for landing and take-off.
AIC comment
The investigation is continuing and will include operational, technical, environmental and human aspects as appropriate to determine the circumstances and causes of the occurrence with a view to avoid similar occurrences in the future, rather to ascribe blame to any person, with complete independence from any judicial, police or administrative investigation that can be conducted for purposes other than safety.
The investigation analysis and findings will be included in the Final Report.
Safety Actions
At the time of the issue of this Preliminary report, no safety actions had been taken.
Recommendations
At the time of the issue of this Preliminary report, no recommendations had been made by the AIC.
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General Details
Date and time:
26th July 2020, 12:46 Local time (02:46 UTC)
Occurrence category:
Accident
ICAO occurrence category:
Collision with obstacle during take-off or landing (CTOL)
Location:
16 nm north west of Port Moresby, PNG
Latitude: 9°14ʹ49.78ʺS
Longitude: 147°0ʹ57.84ʺE
Pilot details
Nationality:
Australian
Licence type:
NA
Total hours:
NA
Total hours in Command:
NA
Total hours on type:
NA
Aircraft Details
Aircraft manufacturer and model:
Cessna 402C
Registration:
VH-TSI
Serial number:
402C0492
Type of operation, injury and damage details
Type of operation:
Take-off from an uncommissioned field.
Persons on board:
Crew: 1 (Pilot)
Passengers: Nil
Injuries:
Crew: Minor
Passengers: Nil
Damage
Substantially damaged.