1986, August 17, Chipping Norton (Sydney) air transport emergency

An unknown power loss resulted in a Cherokee Six aircraft plunging into a factory roof & exploding into flames, killing 5 people. The one survivor escaped from the left rear seat shortly before the front section of the aircraft fell through the factory roof to the floor below. The aircraft had just taken off from Bankstown Airport. When the pilot advised that an engine failure had occurred & requested a landing in the reciprocal direction. The aircraft commenced a turn towards the runway but did not have the necessary gliding performance to reach as height was lost rapidly. It was determined that the engine delivered little or no power at time of impact. No evidence was found of a mechanical defect or malfunction which caused power loss, or apparent engine failure.