January 26 2006
A new single-engine Cessna Grand Caravan - worth over $2M - overshot the end of the runway during landing at Caloundra airport around mid-morning and ended up running through the chain-wire boundary fence - the aircraft had been picked up from Sydney the previous day and was on the final delivery flight

 
The Caloundra based pilot was reported to be on a test flight of the turbine powered machine before continuing on to the new owners in Cairns that afternoon
 
Repairs are expected to cost more than $240,000 - the machine is also a little second-hand by now

January 23 2006
A helicopter with only the pilot on board struck a power line on a property near Mudgee and burst into flames
 
The accident occurred on a Cobborah property 28km north-west of Gulgong around 2000hrs
 
Media reports have the pilot as not surviving the accident

 
The pilot of a helicopter used in the Fire Fighting emergency lost control when he was positioning the machine for refuelling in Vic's Latrobe Valley airport in Gippsland
 
"The pilot escaped serious injury after the accident (that) caused a small fire which was immediately extinguished by ground crew"

January 29 2006
A USA military twin-engine single-seat F/A-18C ditched into the sea 220km south-east of Brisbane after it failed to land on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan during night exercises
 
"It was attempting to land on the flight deck during night flights (there was an arrester failure) ...the pilot ejected and was rescued using one of our helicopters"

 
Meanwhile five other F/A-18s involved in the night exercises landed at Brisbane International airport around midnight departing the following day after a brief stay

 
The carrier is on it's maiden overseas deployment and was moored at Brisbane's Fisherman Islands last week - it has now lost its first combat aircraft

A former Kiwi flying instructor was sentenced in an Auckland court to two years and three months in prison on six charges arising from an incident where he stole an aircraft and proceeded to terrorise the local populace in Auckland's CBD

The Piper Cherokee Warrior ended up in the drink after the deranged pilot threatened to crash the machine into the city's Sky Tower
 
Previous News Desk report is HERE