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The fatal crash of a light aircraft near Canberra two years ago will remain a mystery after the ATSB was unable to make any conclusive findings.
The Cirrus SR22, VH-MSF, had four people on board when it stalled shortly after take-off from Canberra on 6 October 2023 before entering a spin and hitting the ground near Gundaroo, where its remains were consumed by fire. All occupants, including the pilot and three passengers, were killed.
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According to the ATSB, VH-MSF had deviated from its planned track at around 8,000 feet before climbing sharply at 10,000 feet, leading to the stall and subsequent loss of control.
Investigators found no evidence of any recovery actions by the pilot, including the deployment of the emergency parachute, and there were no radio broadcasts from the pilot during the accident or to indicate any issues before the stall.
“The lack of available evidence made this investigation extremely challenging and, unfortunately – particularly given the tragic loss of four lives – limited the findings the ATSB could make,” chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
The plane had not been fitted with any anti-icing systems, and the report noted that it was likely it had encountered icing conditions, which had been forecast along its planned route; however, the ATSB could not conclude whether icing had caused the crash, and it would not have prevented parachute deployment.
Additionally, there were no “underlying medical conditions, natural disease or toxicological abnormalities” detected in the pilot that could have led to a medical event, though one could not be ruled out, and no pre-accident anomalies were found in the plane.
“The ATSB considered several scenarios to establish the reason for the deviations in flight track, the subsequent stall, the absence of any recovery actions, and the non-deployment of the aircraft’s parachute system,” Mitchell said.
“These included in-flight icing, pilot incapacitation, and technical issues with the aircraft, but the lack of available evidence could not definitively support or dismiss any of these hypotheses.
“Unfortunately, due in part to the significant post-impact fire limiting the collection of evidence, the circumstances preceding the stall and this tragic accident could not be conclusively determined.”
The ATSB noted that despite the lack of a definitive finding that icing caused the accident, operating in icing conditions without the proper equipment “increases the risk of a loss of control event leading to an accident”.
“Aircraft flying through cloud in sub-freezing temperatures are likely to experience some degree of icing,” the report read.
“A pilot can reduce the chance of icing becoming an issue by selecting appropriate flight routes, remaining alert to the possibility of ice formation and knowing how and when to operate de-icing and anti-icing equipment if fitted.”
