An aircraft accident that resulted in the fatality of a child passenger is a shocking reminder to all pilots about the dangers of unauthorised and unnecessary low-level flying, according to the ATSB.
The accident occurred on 12 April 2014 when a Maule M-5 aircraft, with a pilot and two passengers on board, struck a powerline across the Clarence River in New South Wales. The aircraft then collided with water, coming to rest inverted with the cabin submerged.
The pilot and front-seat adult passenger escaped the cockpit through one of the forward doors and attempted to free the rear-seat child…