A Beechcraft Bonanza A36, with the pilot and one passenger on
board, departed Swan Hill at approximately 1600 on 20 April 2001.
The pilot had not submitted a flight plan to Airservices Australia
and did not broadcast his intentions to an air traffic control
unit. However the pilot left details of the flight at the point of
departure and arranged to phone a contact on arrival at Goulburn.
At about 1735 a radar trace consistent with the flight path of the
aircraft was identified approaching Goulburn from Yass. The
aircraft disappeared from radar 7 NM west of Goulburn at 1744,
which was consistent with the flight profile of a planned descent
to Goulburn. The end of official daylight was 1758. The pilot did
not report to the contact by phone as planned and a search for the
aircraft commenced the next morning.
The aircraft wreckage was found 4 NM to the south-west of the
aerodrome. The aircraft had been flying in a direction away from
the aerodrome, when it collided with dense woodland on the far side
of a hill. The measured descent path of the aircraft through the
trees indicated a rate of descent well in excess of that normally
found in controlled flight. The aircraft was consumed by
post-impact fire. The accident was not survivable.
Examination of the wreckage found no evidence of any defect in
the aircraft or its systems that may have contributed to the
circumstances of the accident. The pilot was appropriately licensed
to operate the aircraft in day visual conditions. He had completed
4.5 hours flight training towards qualifying for issue of the night
visual flight rules rating, but did not hold that rating. The
aircraft was not appropriately equipped, nor was the pilot
qualified for flight in instrument meteorological conditions.
At the time of the aircraft's departure from Swan Hill
meteorological reports indicated the en-route weather as fine. The
destination forecast indicated cloud in the vicinity of the
aerodrome and a requirement to expect the possibility of holding
for up to 30 minutes, for weather reasons, before a landing would
be possible. Witnesses reported that at the time of the accident
there was fog and drizzle in the vicinity of the hill on which the
aircraft impacted.
Persons who had flown with the pilot stated that they had flown
with him at night and in conditions of poor visibility. They also
reported that the pilot normally flew the aircraft with the aid of
a moving-map display global positioning system.
The weather conditions facing the pilot in the Goulburn area,
together with fading daylight, would have deprived the pilot of a
visible horizon to assist in controlling the aircraft. This would
have increased the probability of spatial disorientation and a
subsequent loss of control.
The circumstances of the accident were consistent with the pilot
attempting to continue the flight into non-visual meteorological
conditions.