Coroner opts for no plane crash inquest

Respect for families cited as reason

A CORONIAL inquest into the deaths of two Hobart men killed when their plane crashed off the Tasman Peninsula in 2014 will not be held out of respect for their families, Coroner Simon Cooper says.

Mr Cooper’s report into the deaths of Hobart photographer Tim Jones, 61, and pilot Sam Langford, 29, was released yesterday.

The men were killed when the plane Mr Jones was using for aerial photography for the Sydney-Hobart yacht race crashed into Storm Bay, south of Hobart, on December 29.

Mr Cooper said he was willing to hold an inquest because the deaths occurred in the workplace and were not the result of natural causes.

“I note that the senior next of kin of both deceased men requested no inquest be held,” he said.

“I am satisfied that it would not be contrary to the public interest or the interests of justice if an inquest were not held.

“Several factors influenced this decision, including that the crash ... was comprehensively investigated by Tasmania Police, so comprehensively that I formed the view that no additional material was likely to be uncovered as a result of ... an inquest.

“Finally, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau also conducted an investigation ... and the report they eventually produced was publicly available.”

Just before the crash, the Cessna did a low-level flight of 15 metres over yacht Mistraal, 45 metres lower than the airline was meant to fly. It then entered a spin and stalled before nosediving into the sea east of Cape Raoul.

A report by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau released last year found the aircraft was flying at a height lower than permitted but this “was not likely to have contributed to the accident”.

The report said a Cessna 172 would need to be flying at a height of least 120 metres to recover from a spin.

In his report Mr Cooper said that under civil aviation regulations, flying of aircraft below 45 metres was not permitted and Mr Langford “must have known this”.

Mr Jones’ family is suing Airlines of Tasmania in the Supreme Court in Hobart, seeking damages as a result of his death.

The case is expected to proceed later this year.