The fatal small plane crash near Canberra two years ago will remain a mystery after the ATSB was unable to reach any conclusive conclusion.
The Cirrus SR22, VH-MSF, had four people on board when it stopped shortly after taking off from Canberra on 6 October 2023 before spinning and crashing into the ground near Gundaroo, where its remains were consumed by fire. All occupants, including the pilot and three passengers, were killed.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, Become a member today!
A monthly membership is just $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
See benefits
-
Australian aviation quarterly print and digital magazines -
Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
MOST POPULAR
PRINTING + DIGITAL
See benefits
-
Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content -
Access to the Australian Aviation app -
Australian aviation quarterly print and digital magazines -
Access to In Focus reports every month on our website -
Access to our behind-the-lens photo galleries and other exclusive content -
Daily news updates via our email newsletter.
DIGITAL
See benefits
-
Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content -
Access to the Australian Aviation app -
Australian aviation quarterly print and digital magazines -
Access to In Focus reports every month on our website -
Access to our behind-the-lens photo galleries and other exclusive content -
Daily news updates via our email newsletter.
According to the ATSB, VH-MSF had deviated from its intended trajectory at about 8,000 feet before climbing sharply to 10,000 feet, causing the stall and subsequent loss of control.
Investigators found no evidence of any recovery actions by the pilot, including deployment of the emergency parachute, and there were no radio transmissions from the pilot during the crash or indicating any problems prior to the stall.
“The lack of available evidence made this investigation extremely challenging and unfortunately – particularly given the tragic loss of four lives – limited the conclusions the ATSB was able to make,” Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
The aircraft was not equipped with any anti-icing system and the report noted that it was likely to have encountered icing conditions, which had been forecast along its planned route; However, the ATSB was unable to conclude whether icing had caused the accident and whether it would have prevented parachute deployment.
Additionally, no “underlying medical conditions, natural illnesses, or toxicological abnormalities” were detected in the pilot that could have led to a medical event, although none could be ruled out, and no pre-accident anomalies were found in the plane.
“The ATSB considered several scenarios to establish the reason for the flight path deviations, subsequent stall, lack of recovery actions and non-deployment of the aircraft’s parachute system,” Mitchell said.
“These included in-flight icing, pilot incapacitation and technical problems with the aircraft, but the lack of available evidence could not definitively support or rule out any of these hypotheses.
“Unfortunately, due in part to the significant post-impact fire that limited evidence collection, the circumstances preceding the loss and this tragic accident could not be conclusively determined.”
The ATSB noted that despite the lack of a definitive finding that icing caused the accident, operating in icing conditions without proper equipment “increases the risk of a loss of control leading to an accident.”
“Airplanes flying through clouds at subzero temperatures are likely to experience some degree of icing,” the report reads.
“A pilot can reduce the possibility of icing becoming a problem by selecting appropriate flight paths, remaining alert to the possibility of icing, and knowing how and when to operate de-icing and anti-icing equipment, if installed.”
