Incident Overview
Description
A Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander, operated by Par-Avion, impacted mountainous terrain in the Southwest National Park in Tasmania, Australia. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, died in the crash. The aircraft departed Hobart Cambridge Airport in Tasmania at 07:48 hours local time on a repositioning flight to Bathurst Harbour Airport to pick up passengers. ADS-B position and altitude data showed the aircraft tracked to the south-west towards Bathurst Harbour. At about 08:16, the aircraft approached a gap in the Arthur Range known as ‘the portals’. The portals are a saddle (lowest area) between the Eastern and Western Arthur Range, and was an optional route that the airline used between Cambridge and Bathurst Harbour when the cloud base prevented flight over the mountain range. After passing through the portals, the aircraft proceeded to conduct a number of turns below the height of the surrounding highest terrain. The final data point recorded was at about 08:28. Contributing factors: – The pilot continued descending over the Arthur Range saddle to a lower altitude than previous flights, likely due to marginal weather. This limited the options for exiting the valley surrounded by high terrain. – While using a route through the Arthur Range due to low cloud conditions, the pilot likely encountered reduced visual cues in close proximity to the ground, as per the forecast conditions. This led to controlled flight into terrain while attempting to exit the range.
Source of Information
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-09/wreckage-of-missing-plane-found-in-tasmania/10597750https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-09/wreckage-of-missing-plane-found-in-tasmania/10597750Primary Cause
Marginal weather conditions limited the pilot’s ability to exit the valley.Marginal weather conditions limited the pilot’s ability to exit the valley.Share on:
