The aircraft involved in the crash had an emergency recovery parachute that was not deployed. Photo: Aircraft owner via ATSB.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its final report into the fatal crash of a light aircraft near Lake George north of Canberra in 2023, but has been unable to conclusively find a cause for the crash.
The four-seat single-engine Cirrus SR22 departed Canberra Airport at 2:36 pm on 6 October 2023 on a planned flight to Armidale in the NSW New England region, but impacted the ground at about 2:48 pm just west of Lake George.
“About 12 minutes after take-off, the aircraft aerodynamically stalled and departed from controlled flight,” the report reads.
“It then entered a high vertical descent which developed into a spin, before impacting the ground.
“The aircraft came to rest in an open field adjacent to a farm dam wall and was consumed by a post‑impact fire.”
The pilot Peter Nally, 65, and his three grandchildren Raphael, Evita and Philomena died in the crash and subsequent fire which destroyed the aircraft.
A map showing the flight path and crash site of the Cirrus SR22. Image: ATSB.
“There are no words to describe the grief our family is feeling at this time, which is why we would like to formally decline any requests for media interviews,” a statement from the family shared by NSW Police shortly after the crash read.
“We are appreciative of the overwhelming support we continue to receive from our extended family and friends as well as the local community.
“As we are still coming to terms with our loss, we ask that the media respect our privacy while we grieve and process this tragedy.”
Mr Nally and his grandchildren had arrived in Canberra in the same aircraft from Redcliffe near Brisbane via Armidale two days before the crash. He had 800 hours flying experience in total, including 180 in Cirrus aircraft.
The report says flight data showed the aircraft began to deviate off its planned track at about 8000 feet altitude north of the Kowen Forest, with heading, altitude and airspeed deviations noted.
A few minutes later when approaching 10,000 ft near where the track crossed the Federal Highway, the aircraft’s climb rate increased significantly while its airspeed decreased, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and departure from controlled flight.
“The investigation found no evidence of any recovery actions being conducted after the aircraft stalled, and that the ballistic recovery parachute – an emergency parachute that when activated by the pilot supports and lowers the aircraft to the ground – was not deployed,” the report says.
“Additionally, no radio broadcasts were heard from the pilot during the accident sequence, or to indicate any issues prior to the stall.”
A photo of the crash site illustrates the devastation confronting investigators. Photo: ATSB.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the extensive damage from the collision and the post‑impact fire had hampered the ATSB’s ability to determine the circumstances preceding the accident.
“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,” he said.
“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.
“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,” he added.
The report says independent forensic pathology did not identify any underlying medical conditions, natural disease or toxicological abnormalities that could have led to an incapacitation event, but it did note that medical incapacitation can result for reasons that may not be detectable.
It says moderate icing conditions – where rain or moisture can freeze and inhibit the movement of or reduce the lift from aircraft control surfaces – were forecast along the aircraft’s flight path from 7000 ft to 10,000 ft when in cloud.
But it says the ATSB was unable to determine if these conditions were sufficient to have adversely affected the aircraft’s performance and/or handling, adding that icing would not have prevented the deployment of the aircraft’s parachute system.
It says, to the extent possible, “an inspection of the remaining aircraft structure and flight controls did not identify any pre-accident anomalies”.
“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,” Mr Mitchell said.
