The pilot of a Cessna C152 carried out a safe precautionary landing into a paddock shortly after takeoff from Barwon Heads Airport due to a partial engine failure - "I thought about turning back to the airport but I decided it was better to be safe than sorry and I landed it in the field" - the 2-seat trainer was undamaged

A 29-year-old helicopter pilot was seriously injured and his passenger - a 41-year-old National Parks and Wildlife Service ranger fatally injured when the helicopter they were in crashed in foggy conditions - it was the third accident in 24 hours involving fire-fighting aircraft used to try and control around 110 fires burning across New South Wales

The pilot of a fire-fighting helicopter suffered minor facial injuries and his machine extensively damaged after an engine malfunction caused the rotary-wing to land heavily when operating near a fire-front around 40km south-east of Tamworth while at Bathurst two helicopters clipped each other in heavy smoke - both machines landed safely