A Cessna 310R that crashed at Johns River on October 28 was observed 'to roll left and descend rapidly'.
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The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its preliminary report into the crash that claimed the lives of pilot Grant Burley and fiancee Suzanne Rohleder.
The active report also shows that the investigaiton will further consider the:
- pilot’s qualifications, experience and medical information
- fuel planning for the flight
- component examination
- witness information
- weather information, and
- recovered instruments and available electronic data.
The Cessna was on the return leg on a flight from The Lakes aerodrome near Johns River and Toowoomba, Queensland.
The aircraft departed Toowoomba on 2.34pm, the report says.
"During the flight, transponders in the aircraft provided flight information indicating that the aircraft flew at 9500 ft in the cruise," the report states.
"Weather forecasts and observations indicated good weather conditions throughout the flight, with a light easterly wind in the vicinity of the destination.
"About half a nautical mile north of The Lakes aerodrome, witnesses driving south on the Pacific Highway observed the aircraft flying just to the west of the highway at low altitude in a southerly direction.
"The landing gear was extended and the aircraft was descending slowly. The aircraft was then observed to roll left and descend rapidly."
The 'aircraft collided with terrain at about 3.55pm, in a narrow wooded strip of land east of the Pacific Highway, between the highway and the main northern railway line'.
Examination of the engines and propellers indicated that the left engine was producing no power and the right engine was likely producing low power at the time of the accident.
- The ATSB report
The accident was 800 m from The Lakes runway 16 threshold, in line with the runway direction. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured, the report states.
On-site examination of the wreckage, surrounding markings on trees and the ground indicated that the aircraft impacted terrain in a steep nose-down attitude and banked to the left. The aircraft was in a landing configuration, the report said.
"The left wing had separated outboard of the left engine, and both the wing-tip pods had separated from the wings.
"The remaining fuel tanks were also breached and no fuel was found, however a smell of aviation fuel was noted by emergency responders at the accident site.
"There was no evidence of fire.
"Examination of the engines and propellers indicated that the left engine was producing no power and the right engine was likely producing low power at the time of the accident."
A number of aircraft components, instruments and electronic devices were recovered from the accident site by the ATSB for further examination."
The aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder or a cockpit voice recorder, nor was it required to be."