Pilots killed in Oakey plane crash were carrying out mandatory training, ATSB says

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

Two men killed in a plane crash in Queensland on Sunday afternoon are believed to have been conducting a mandatory pilot proficiency check moments before their aircraft hit the ground.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators believe the plane, which took off south of Toowoomba at Warwick, was attempting an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Oakey Army Aviation Centre at the Swartz Barracks when the crash occurred at Oakey at about 3pm.
The aircraft burst into flames, killing both men instantly.
Aviation specialist service Aero Logistics confirmed that one of its pilots was killed in the crash.
Chief executive Ben Smee said the pilot had been working with an external flight examiner.
"This is a terrible tragedy for the two people onboard the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates," he said in a statement.
Today ATSB investigators have been scouring through the wreckage and investigating the history of the aircraft and the two men on board.
"We still don't have access to all maintenance records — they're part of what we're routinely get over the course of the next couple of days," ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
The Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan, a twin turbo-prop 12-seater aircraft built in France in 1990, had been in Australia for 13 years, according to the ATSB.
In 2014 the ATSB assessed the aircraft after one of its pilots suffered hypoxia during a flight.
That investigation concluded there had been an error with the plane's oxygen system when it was above 10,000 feet and the issue was rectified.
Mr Mitchell confirmed that the fault found in 2014 was "unlikely to be associated with what occurred" during Sunday's crash.
Recent flight-log data showed the aircraft had made numerous flights in the same area and around Emerald in central Queensland in the days leading up to the crash.
Mr Mitchell said flight data could play a key role in determining the cause of the crash.
"A small aircraft like this is quite likely to have some sort of recording devices … what state they're going to be in is something that will determine later on," he said.
"There are other recording devices, whether that be mobile phones, iPads, that we can often recover from site, and anything that's been recorded, whether that be radar traffic, and radio traffic."
Mr Mitchell could not confirm whether a "mayday" call had been made prior to the crash.
"[The plane] left Warwick about 40 minutes prior to the accident," he said.
"There is some of that circling that was done around the Oakey [area], but whether Oakey [Swartz Barracks] was an intended destination or simply part of the training and part of the proficiency check for the pilot we're yet to clarify."
The Oakey Army Aviation Centre has an ILS – a ground-based navigation system – installed to allow aircraft to land in any weather.
An Australian Defence Force spokesperson said flying over a restricted area must be avoided unless in an emergency, according to minutes from the Brisbane Airport Commmunity Airspace Advisory Board Meeting in February.
The meeting minutes also advise that civilian aircraft may make requests to air traffic control in restricted Defence areas, including military bases, for emergencies only.
ATSB preliminary reports are likely to take between six and eight weeks to complete, according to Mr Mitchell.
"A preliminary report is very much an assessment of the facts as we know them — quite often that will be a very good indication of the sequence of events that occurred," he said.
"We will look at the history of the aircraft, what is it normally being used for and what potentially differed yesterday to have such a tragic outcome that two families are obviously grieving for today and more broadly an aviation community."