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The ATSB has been unable to determine why a Cessna 172 pitched sharply down before crashing near Camden Airport in NSW earlier this year.
In its final report, the transport safety watchdog found that the control yoke was likely continually pushed forward during the steep descent of VH-CPQ, which crashed on 24 January, killing its student pilot, but could not find a reason for the strange input.
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“The ATSB’s investigation found there was no evidence of any in-flight failure of the airframe structure or flight control system and that the engine appeared to have been producing significant power at impact,” the ATSB wrote.
“In the absence of an identified problem with the aircraft, and after consulting with the aircraft manufacturer to confirm performance characteristics, the investigation found that continual nose-down control input was almost certainly applied to the flight controls throughout the increasingly steep, accelerating descent.”
VH-CPQ was being used for the first solo Cessna 172 flight of its pilot, who held a recreational pilot’s certificate and had previously flown solo in a Gazelle.
“After receiving air traffic control clearance shortly after 3pm the student pilot commenced the flight, which was to be a standard circuit of the airport followed by a ‘full-stop’ landing,” the ATSB said.
“Towards the end of the downwind leg of the circuit, the aircraft departed level flight, rapidly descended and impacted the ground in an open paddock. The pilot was fatally injured, and the aircraft was destroyed.”
While the ATSB investigated a number of potential causes, none were deemed likely: the seat was not in its full forward position prior to the accident, likely ruling out a seat slide; there were no mechanical indications of a control jam; and the pilot was in good health, with a medical incapacitation unlikely to have resulted in significant forward pressure on the yoke.
There was also no indication that the pilot had been attempting to avoid a hazard, and the ATSB had no reports of “previous risk-taking behaviour or significant personal, psychological, or social concerns”.
“Based on the available evidence, no mechanical, operational, or medical factors contributing to the accident could be determined,” investigators wrote.
“On this basis, the descent and absence of recovery were likely the result of a sustained forward control yoke movement, for reasons that could not be determined.”
