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Quote:
Originally Posted by woofa.express
#2 Incident at Kingston’s Rest.
Kingston’s Rest is a short stretch of road which runs through what was previously Dunham River Station, it’s enroute to Hall’s Creek. It’s where a grader driver by the name of Kingston was stranded in the wet season between Dunham River and a creek to the north. He graded that road each day so he could not be fired, well that's the common story anyway.
Dunham River Station has a large fertile and flat area on which they had spent a large amount of capital. They built housing and workshops there along with an airstrip which has an unusual feature. A telephone line crossing it. It’s not unusual to find power wires but not telephone wires. What’s more there is a telephone pole in the middle of the strip. I betcha there is no other airstrip in the world with a telephone pole in the middle.
The airstrip and surrounding area is prone to bulldust. Very fine and light dust when dry conditions prevail. It can be up to 18 inches deep. From the air one can spot road train dust some 40 miles away. In the west a body truck can pull 3 stock trailers and in the territory 2 stock trailers.
I had taken delivery of a brand new Piper Cub the afternoon prior to this incident. Next morning I flew to Kingston’s Rest to give the manager a flight around the station so as he could survey the cattle. His first flight in this brand spanking new aeroplane.
A road train drove along the track adjacent to the airstrip. I watched the dust rise from the wheels and it was considerable. Next thing the aeroplane was vertical on it’s nose. Very quick. This wasn’t just the road train dust but a willy willy that had travelled up behind me and I had not seen this.
It resulted in a bent propeller and other damage to the nose cowl and left hand wing tip.Fortunately the engine crank was not bent. It took about a fortnight for repairs and get the plane going again.
What could I have done to prevent it. Well nothing. If the road train hadn’t passed maybe I may have suspected willy willy. Maybe. We will never know.
What is the difference between an accident and incident. Well I guess and accident is induced by pilot or associated person and an incident not.
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Were you in the air when this 'incident' took place? Taxiing? Just sitting in the plane? Or sitting in the hanger?