The deaths of 5 individuals in a light-weight aircraft crash in dangerous climate in far north Queensland may have been prevented if the plane had a terrain avoidance and warning system, investigators say.
The Cessna 404 was making its second try to land at Lockhart River on Cape York in heavy rain and cloud when it hit sand dunes, killing the pilot and 4 passengers, on March 11, 2020.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau probe discovered the plane was being flown about 1000ft under the really useful top earlier than it crashed.
However, the pilot had been in management till the purpose of affect and there was no proof of mechanical issues within the lead-up to the accident, the bureau’s report launched on Thursday discovered.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell says the aircraft did not have a black field, which wasn’t required, so it is not possible to work out a conclusive trigger.
However, investigators have determined that the pilot had in all probability did not verify the Cessna’s top and tried to land it solo in very poor visibility.
“Overall, misreading the altimeter by 1000ft appears to be the most likely scenario, although there was insufficient evidence to provide a definitive conclusion,” Mr Mitchell mentioned in an announcement.
“Regardless, it is evident from the continued descent that the pilot did not effectively monitor the aircraft’s altitude and descent rate for an extended period, and that they were probably experiencing a very high workload.”
The pilot had 5 years of expertise flying into distant airports and had landed at Lockhart River Airport eight instances beforehand.
However, he was “probably experiencing a very high workload” because of the dangerous climate, poor visibility, having to take a unique method to the airstrip and maintain checking that method, and coming in at a sooner pace than regular.
The ATSB mentioned its probe highlighted the significance of terrain avoidance and warning techniques (TAWS) in serving to pilots to keep away from flying into the bottom, notably when visibility is poor.
The Cessna didn’t have a TAWS on the time as they had been solely mandated in December 2021, however Mr Mitchell mentioned the system may have prevented the accident.
“Given the aircraft’s descent profile on the second approach, a TAWS would have provided the pilot with both visual and aural alerts of the approaching terrain for an extended period,” he added.
In mild of these findings, the ATSB mentioned air transport operators ought to set up a TAWS in plane, or if that is not viable they need to guarantee they perceive the restrictions of terrain warnings in GPS or navigation techniques.
“The ATSB urges all operators conducting air transport operations to evaluate the risk of CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) in your operations and to actively seek to install TAWS in your aircraft to maximise the safety of your operations,” Mr Mitchell mentioned.
