History of the flight

The pilot departed from his own airstrip in the Gympie area, Queensland in Cessna 182A, registered VH-SGB at about 0930 Eastern Standard Time on 17 December 2012. The flight was to attend a Christmas function at a parachute drop zone at Burrum River, about 100 km to the north. There was no aircraft landing area at the drop zone and the landing area to be used by the pilot was located about 1,500 m to the north of the drop zone.

A number of persons were assembled at the drop zone for the function. The aircraft was observed to descend to low level to the south of the drop zone, whilst continuing to fly on a northerly heading. A witness reported that the aircraft was flying wings level and did not appear to be turning. Another witness who saw the aircraft descend reported that they momentarily lost sight of it as it descended below the tops of trees. 

The aircraft flew almost overhead the position of a witness at the drop zone and impacted and severed two electrical supply cables, which were at a height of about 9 m (29 ft) above the ground and ran in an east-west direction. The aircraft was then seen to climb, still trailing the cables, before turning slightly right and disappearing from sight behind trees. The aircraft subsequently impacted the ground and a post-impact, fuel-fed fire consumed most of the wreckage. The pilot was fatally injured.

Pilot information

The pilot obtained a Commercial Pilot (Aeroplane) Licence in 2002 and held a Class 1 Aviation Medical Certificate, with no restrictions. His last medical examination was about 1 month prior to the accident. The pilot had logged 2,091.2 flying hours, of which 1,885.7 were in command and his last flight review was in September 2012.

Wreckage

The aircraft impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude of approximately 90° with very little forward speed. All of the aircraft's primary structures and flight controls were accounted for either with the main wreckage or along the aircraft's flight path from its impact with the cables. The right wing had separated from the aircraft prior to its impact with the ground and was located about 50 m before the main wreckage (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Right wing in relation to the main wreckage

Weather

The weather in the area of Burrum River was forecast to be clear of cloud, with a north‑north-westerly wind of up to 15 kt. The actual weather conditions as reported by witnesses, including the wind strength, were consistent with that forecast.

Radio calls

Examination of the recorded radio broadcasts on the applicable area frequency did not reveal any emergency or urgency broadcast by the pilot.

Future activities

The investigation is continuing and will include:

• a review of the aircraft’s maintenance and modification history
• an examination of GPS equipment that was recovered from the wreckage.

The information contained in this web update is released in accordance with section 25 of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 and is derived from the initial investigation of the occurrence. Readers are cautioned that new evidence will become available as the investigation progresses that will enhance the ATSB's understanding of the accident as outlined in this web update. As such, no analysis or findings are included in this update.