The ATSB has completed its technical examination of a cockpit-mounted Global Positioning System (GPS) unit from Hughes Engineering Lightwing SP-2000 aircraft, registered 24-7057. The aircraft was involved in a fatal accident on 4 April 2010 at Tartrus Station, Queensland.
Recreational Aviation Australia Inc (RA-Aus) is assisting the Queensland Police in their investigation of this accident. RA-Aus requested assistance from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in the recovery and analysis of information from the GPS unit, which had been recovered from the aircraft wreckage by RA-Aus investigators. To protect the information recovered from the GPS unit and the investigative work undertaken to assist RA-Aus, the ATSB initiated an investigation under the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.
In summary, while the GPS unit was found to be functional, the ATSB's examination of the device found that the unit's track and data recording functionality had not been enabled, and as a result, there was no data relating to the accident able to be recovered.
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Released in accordance with section 25 of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.