Plane crash that killed young pilot in central SA caused bt aircraft stalling, ATSB finds

Australia Broadcast Center

01-05-2025

A plane crash that killed a 22-year-old man in South Australia last year was caused by the aircraft stalling, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report has found.
The pilot and sole occupant of the Cessna 172N was mustering sheep at Mulgathing Station, about 200 kilometres south-west of Coober Pedy, on June 27, 2024.
According to the ATSB report multiple station workers witnessed the crash, which occurred shortly after 8am, from about 500 metres away.
"While mustering sheep without the appropriate endorsement to do so the pilot lost control of the aircraft, leading to an aerodynamic stall and spin from an altitude that was not recoverable," the report said.
It said the pilot was hired for a job advertised as "aerial stock mustering" but "did not require an aerial mustering endorsement as the operator intended that the role only involve aerial spotting".
"The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot who was the sole occupant was fatally injured," the report said.
"This accident highlights the importance of managing airspeed and bank-angle to minimise the risk of an aerodynamic stall."
The report said the investigation found the Cessna 172N had "no defects or anomalies … that might have contributed to the accident".
"The damage to the propeller indicated a power-on impact," it said.
The report said Bureau of Meteorology data showed no cloud or weather below 5,000 feet and that the visibility range exceeded 10 kilometres.
The station operator, according to the report, said if was preparing a "safe aerial spotting and general station aviation manual" and was reviewing its operations to ensure compliance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations.
A pilot mentoring program was implemented and a third-party safety audit initiated, the report said.
How does a plane stall?
University of South Australia associate professor of aviation Paul Lee said stalling occurred when the lift generated by wind rapidly decreased.
"That normally occurs when the aerofoil … exceeds a certain angle of attack," he said.
"We call that a critical angle of attack.
"Beyond [this], there will be a collapse of pressure envelope, especially on the top of the wing, resulting in a vast amount of lift being diminished."
Paul Lee says aircrafts rarely stall.
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Supplied: Paul Lee
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Associate Professor Lee said that led to greater force that effectively pulled the aeroplane "to the ground".
For this to happen, he said was dependent on "how you apply the control inputs".
"[The report] mentioned … the pilot … had a tendency to pull out fairly rapidly after the deep dive," Associate Professor Lee said.
"If that's the case, then you will be changing the altitude of the aeroplane quite quickly.
"If you are in a dive and you start to pull back your control column too quickly to the back, then the momentum of aeroplane will continue to the ground, whilst the altitude of the aeroplane will change [from] nose-down to nose-up."
He said planes rarely stalled, except during training when it was done to teach students how to recognise a stall and recover from it, or when a pilot was undertaking "quite severe manoeuvres like low-level steep turns".
"It's always sad when you come across these accidents," Associate Professor Lee said.
"But continual training and improvements from the training providers, regulators and, indeed, operators will certainly make general aviation a bit safer."