The ATSB has released the final report from its investigation into an accident involving a Cessna 172 light aircraft near Camden Airport, south-west of Sydney, on 24 January 2024.
The aircraft was being used for flight instruction of a student pilot. After conducting a number of circuits, the instructor assessed that the student, who had previously flown solo in a Gazelle aircraft and held a recreational aviation pilot certificate, was competent to complete their first solo in the Cessna 172.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The investigation considered potential reasons for the sustained forward pressure on the control yoke, which are discussed in the report's Safety Analysis section.
However, based on the evidence available, the reason for the continued control input could not be determined.
