The Aeroprakt two-seat plane landed short of a runway in Tumut. Photo: Supplied.
The forced landing of a private light aircraft in Tumut causing injury last year could have been avoided if the pilot had heeded warning signals and followed safety guidelines earlier, an investigative report has found.
During a flight from Moruya to Griffith in a Ukrainian two-seat ultralight aircraft (Aeroprakt‑32) in April 2024, a pilot diverted to Tumut due to a reading of low engine oil pressure. However, the engine failed during the descent and the pilot was unable to reach the runway at Tumut Aerodrome, so conducted a forced landing into a paddock, which caused them minor injuries.
An investigative report by the Federal Government’s Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) was critical of the decisions the pilot made in the moments leading up to the crash.
“When [close] to Canberra Airport, the pilot observed lower than normal engine oil pressure, which continued to decay,” the report stated.
“Under these circumstances, the pilot’s operating handbook recommended course of action was to conduct a precautionary landing, which included a check for the nearest suitable airfield or landing area.”
However, the pilot believed that Canberra was too far away and chose to continue on their journey towards Griffith over mountainous terrain.
“It was very likely that, had the pilot diverted to Canberra Airport at this time, it would have been possible to conduct a safe precautionary landing before the engine failed,” the report stated.
The investigation also concluded that the pilot made the wrong decision to commence a descent toward the Tumut Aerodrome when they saw the low engine oil pressure reading.
“Given the decreasing oil pressure, the pilot could not be assured the engine would continue to operate normally. As such, maintaining altitude, as suggested in the literature, until they were confident of reaching the aerodrome with a glide profile [unpowered] in case the engine stopped, would have increased the likelihood that Tumut Aerodrome would be reached,” the investigation stated.
ATSB Director Transport Safety Kerri Hughes said the time taken by the pilot to make the decision to divert after the low oil pressure indication was first observed resulted in the aircraft flying further away from a safe landing place at Canberra as the situation continued to deteriorate.
In addition, after diverting, but before the engine failed, the pilot conducted a powered descent towards Tumut.
“This meant that, when the engine failed, there was insufficient altitude remaining to glide to the runway,” Ms Hughes said.
She said the accident highlighted the importance of pilots considering the potential future implications of any abnormal events during flight.
“For any issue that could lead to a loss of engine power, pilots should consider a precautionary landing at the nearest suitable location,” she said.
“Flight over inhospitable terrain should be avoided, and pilots should maintain altitude whenever practical to improve their chances of finding a suitable landing place should their engine fail.”
The ATSB was unable to determine the cause of the engine oil loss.
