Missing system to blame
What led to fatal Lockhart River plane crash
THE pilot of a Cessna which tragically crashed at Lockhart River in 2020, killing all five men on board, likely did not monitor the aircraft’s altitude and descent rate, an Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has found.
Pilot Stuart Wavell, 36, QBuild workers Wayne Ganter, 63, Henry Roebig, 62, and Wayne Brischke, 57, and contractor Mark Rawlings, 49, died when the twin-engine Cessna crashed into sand dunes in poor visibility, 6.4km short of the runway at Lockhart River Airport on March 11, 2020.
The pilot had one missed approach at 400ft and began another but the descent was 1000ft below the recommendations.
“The aircraft was not fitted with a terrain avoidance and warning system (TAWS),” the report noted.
“Given the aircraft’s descent profile on the second approach, if a TAWS had been fitted and been operational, it would have provided the pilot with both visual and aural alerts of the approaching terrain.
“The aircraft was being flown 1000ft below the recommended descent profile, and had probably entered areas of significantly reduced visibility, including heavy rain.”
The report said the pilot was probably experiencing a very high workload, and it was evident he did not effectively monitor the aircraft’s altitude and descent rate for an extended period.
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the plane was not fitted with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder, but nor was it required to be and because of this, the ATSB could not conclusively determine the most likely scenario to explain the descent below the recommendation.
“The aircraft appeared to have been in controlled flight up until the time of the impact, and there was no evidence of any medical problems or incapacitation for the pilot, nor pre-existing mechanical problems with the aircraft or its systems,” he said.
“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 said.
“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.”
There was no requirement for the plane to be fitted with a TAWS.