Crash pilot lost his way
PLANE TURNED BACK IN RAIN, LOW CLOUD
BAD weather probably caused a pilot to become disoriented before his plane smashed into waters off Ocean Grove, killing all four people on board, authorities have found.
The Piper Aircraft left Moorabbin Airport on January 29, 2016, heading for King Island in the Bass Strait via Point Lonsdale, when it hit low cloud and rain.
With visibility poor, the pilot initially made a 180-degree turn to backtrack to Point Lonsdale before heading south over the ocean, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report released yesterday.
After about two minutes the plane turned again then went into a rapid descent, hitting the water and killing 55year-old Mordialloc man Daniel Flinn, Donald Hately, 68, of Noble Park, Di Bradley, 63, of Black Rock and her 65year-old husband Ian Chamberlain.
The ATSB found the continued flight beyond Point Lonsdale was probably influenced by the difficulty of assessing the visibility conditions and the loss of visual clues probably led to the pilot becoming “spatially disorientated”.
The pilot also had a lack of instrument flying proficiency, which increased the risk.
The bureau says education and training can help a pilot’s ability to respond to deteriorating weather conditions.
“It is always possible that the actual weather conditions will be different to those forecast,” the report says.
“The ATSB cautions that, on entering an area of reduced visual cues, the risk of experiencing spatial disorientation and a loss of control is high.
“This risk is highest for those without proficiency or recent experience in instru- ment flying. Requesting assistance from air traffic control can increase the chances of reestablishing visual cues.”
AAP