October 4
In north-central Victoria a single-seat Corby Starlet homebuilt aircraft may have had an engine problem and was carrying out a force-landing into a paddock near Rochester

"..the aircraft clipped a wire fence ..crashed upside down trapping the pilot in the wreckage"

The "mature age" pilot did not survive

The "V-Dub" powered semi aerobatic Starlet was designed by OZ aeronautical engineer John Corby back in the '60's and is popular with home-builders world wide

October 6
The head of the right-wing Brazilian Congress federal political party in the state of Parana has died along 3 others in a light aircraft accident (type not known ..Ed)

The leader was Deputy Jose Carlos Martinez age 55 (no relation! ..Ed) who was on a fishing trip with friends

The private flight had departed from the state capital Curitiba and was en route to Florianopolis but ended up crashing into dense jungle in the southwest of the country

October 1
A family of 5 on a flying holiday to FNQ in their privately owned PA-23 Piper Aztec twin have perished when the aircraft failed to remain airborne after departing the Mareeba airport west of Cairns

"..it is believed the pilot involved is the owner"

It's understood the pilot had been flying for a number of years - however an engine failure after lift-off and at all up weight is fraught with extreme danger in this twin engine type

October 3
A new 4-seat Robinson R-44 Raven helicopter - air-taxiing at the "uncontrolled" Caboolture airport - had one of the rotor blades contact a light pole alongside the refuelling dump after control of the machine was affected by an apparent wind gust

The aircraft was extensively damaged with the owner-pilot escaping along with his passenger who received only minor leg injuries

Click HERE for a previous helicopter accident report at Caboolture back in March 2003