Occurrence notification and occurrence report relating to an occurrence involving an Air Tractor AT-802A approximately 82 kilometres north-west of Hopetoun, Victoria between 1-7 December 2025

Written by Claude Haiku 5.5 from the extracted text on 16 Oct 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

This FOI release comprises ATSB aviation occurrence notifications (NA2025-22425, NA2025-22427 and NA2025-22565) and a short occurrence report (AB-2025-065) concerning an Air Tractor AT-802 aerial firefighting aircraft that crashed shortly after take-off from Linga Airbase, Victoria, on 4 December 2025 at about 5:23 pm. The aircraft overran runway 17, struck a fence, was substantially damaged, and the engine and propeller separated, causing a fire that was extinguished by airbase and state government staff. The pilot, who had not previously operated from the airbase, sustained minor injuries. Contributing factors identified include unfamiliarity with the aircraft's load-release switch, a crosswind take-off on a short runway, high temperature and gusting winds, and inadequate take-off performance assessment, as the aircraft likely needed the longer runway 19. No investigation was conducted and no safety recommendations were issued; the report offers safety messages on injury severity, pre-flight planning and performance calculations. Some material is redacted under sections 22, 47E(d) and 47F.