IPEC Aviation – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB03/06/202306/06/2023

Aviation Heritage Vol. 54 No. 2 (June 2023) Contents Listing

The latest quarterly AHSA journal - Aviation Heritage - has recently been posted to members. The contents of all articles are listed below: Aviation...

1993 Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain VH-WGI operated by Hibiscus Aviation Services crashed near Launceston airport, Launceston, Tasmania on 17 September 1993. The aircraft crashed at 19:43 hours EST while on a night landing approach to Launceston airport. The aircraft was being operated by one pilot and carried nine passengers. Six passengers received fatal injuries. The pilot and three passengers sustained serious injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged as a result of impact forces and fire. The aircraft was operating a 'cost sharing private flight' from Morabin Airport, Melbourne to Launceston with members of the Glendale Football Club. The accident occurred while the pilot was making a visual circling approach to land on runway 32 at Launceston. Some low cloud was present and the aircraft passed through patches of cloud on the approach. Late on a left base leg the aircraft entered a steep left bank. Shortly after, at a height of about 200 feet, the aircraft developed a rapid rate of descent. This descent culminated in collision with the ground. Significant factors in this occurrence included minimal endorsement training and pilot experience on type, inadequate operator supervision, and pilot decision making adversely influenced by the carriage of noisy, alcohol-affected passengers. Organisational factors included an absence of standards prescribed by the CAA for aircraft type endorsement. The ATSB investigation found indications of significant confusion over the interpretation of AIP DAP instructions on visual circling approaches, particularly at night. Sources: ATSB Occurrence number 199302851; aviation-safety.net website