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Date:
Sunday, August 17, 2025
Time:
circa 14:20 Local Time
Type of Aircraft:
Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee
Owner/Operator:
Private
Registration:
VH-BUN
MSN:
28-23228
Year of Manufacture:
1967
Engine Model:
Lycoming O-320-E2A
Fatalities:
0 / Occupants: 2
Other Fatalities:
0
Aircraft Damage:
Substantial
Category:
Accident
Location:
Mona Vale, NSW – Australia
Phase:
En route
Nature:
Training
Departure Airport:
Camden Airfield, NSW (CDU/YSCN)
Destination Airport:
Shellharbour Airport, NSW (WOL/YSHL)
Investigating Agency:
ATSB (information gathering)
Confidence Rating:
Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Circumstances:
On August 17, 2025, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee registered VH-BUN was involved in a forced landing incident on the Mona Vale Golf Course, Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The aircraft had departed Camden Airfield on a training flight to Shellharbour Airport when it experienced engine failure while en route.
At approximately 14:20 local time, the flight instructor and student pilot elected to perform an emergency landing on the golf course. The aircraft came down heavily on the green, causing substantial damage to the airframe, including a crumpled nose section and scattered debris.
Golfers on the course witnessed the emergency landing and rushed to assist. Emergency services, including paramedics, police, and fire units, attended the scene. Both occupants, men in their 50s, sustained only minor injuries and were transported to Royal North Shore Hospital in stable condition.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) was notified and is gathering further information regarding the engine failure. The aircraft, manufactured in 1967, sustained substantial damage but remained largely intact after the forced landing.
Carter Capner Law monitors accidents involving light aircraft, helicopters, charter flights, balloons, commuter aircraft and airlines throughout Australia and overseas to spotlight safety issues of concern to our clients and to demonstrate those situations in which they may have a right to an insurance or compensation recovery. We act for pilots, passengers, operators, aircraft owners and aviation employees worldwide. Call today on 1300 529 529 or click here to reach Carter Capner Law. Click on Client Showcase to view our history of aircraft accident compensation claims.