ATSB Releases Preliminary Report Of Fatal Seaview Aircraft Crash

Weight a factor

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released a preliminary report from its on-going investigation into a fatal accident involving a Piper Pawnee aerial application aircraft at Seaview on February 23, 2022.

The report established from the early evidence collection phase of the investigation stated the aircraft could have been carrying too much weight.

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ATSB Director Transport Safety Dr Mike Walker said while the aircraft’s hopper was capable of carrying about 700 kilograms of pellets for aerial application, its maximum permissible load was 544 kilograms

“The exact volume or weight of superphosphate loaded into the aircraft prior to the accident could not be determined, and the loader driver could not later recall how much superphosphate had been loaded,” he said.

Based on local weather reports and witness videos, the weather at the time was fine and most likely little to no wind was present.

The 60-year-old pilot, a Leongatha man, died when the Piper Pawnee agriculture aircraft went down in February.

He was the lone passenger on the aircraft.

The aircraft was flown from Leongatha to a private landing area 25 kilometres north of Seaview at around 7am in preparation for aerial spreading od superphosphate pellets.

The landing area was normally used for cattle grazing and was prepared for aerial application operations once a year.

It had been mowed into a ‘Y’ configuration by the pilot in the days before the accident.

“According to witnesses and video, the aircraft accelerated along the strip and traversed the right branch of the ‘Y’ and briefly became airborne at a point at the end of the strip, where the terrain dropped away.”
- Dr Mike Walker

The outboard section of the aircraft’s left wing then struck trees, and rolled to the left, pitched down, and impacted the ground.