ATSB preliminary report finds ‘no obvious defects’ with plane that crashed killing two pilots

Investigators are still trying to piece together what caused a plane crash that killed two experienced pilots with the ATSB’s preliminary report finding no “obvious” engine defects.

The cause of a plane crash that claimed the lives of two pilots remains a mystery with preliminary investigations finding the aircraft had “no obvious defects”.

Flight instructor Rory Blanning, 30, and Adam Heath, 46, were killed when the Cessna 150 Aerobat single engine aircraft they were flying crashed into thick bushland in the Sunshine Coast hinterland on June 23.

The men had left Sunshine Coast Airport in the two-seater light plane for an aerobatics training session about 11am but failed to return.

Their bodies were found just before 9pm inside the wreckage that was discovered in a heavily wooded property off Commissioners Flat Road at Peachester.

Rory Blanning was a skilled pilot and instructor. Picture: Facebook

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its preliminary findings into the cause of the crash on Thursday.

The report found no evidence of pre-impact defects with the Aerobat’s flight controls or aircraft structure, and no obvious issues with the engine.

The throttle setting was at idle, and propeller rotational damage signatures were minimal, indicating a low power setting.

ATSB Director Transport Safety Dr Mike Walker said a 50-metre wreckage trail revealed the plane had collided with trees at significant speed.

“The disruption to the aircraft and foliage, coupled with the length of the wreckage trail, indicated that the aircraft had significant forward speed at impact,” he said.

Police and ATSB investigators at the scene near Cedarton where two men were killed in a light plane crash. Picture: Lachie Millard

The report found the pair had only been in the air for 20 minutes before the crash.

Air traffic control radar data from the last 90 seconds of the men’s flight shows the aircraft turned left and decelerated, maintaining an altitude of 6,000 feet, before descending rapidly.

Dr Walker said the investigation is continuing and would examine the parties involved with the aircraft’s operation, the pilots’ qualifications, experience and medical histories, and review aircraft records.

“Spin training requirements and practices will also be assessed,” he said.

Friends remembered Mr Blanning as a skilled pilot instructor and a beloved committee member of the Australian Aerobatic Club’s Queensland chapter.

Adam Heath with his wife Lucinda and three girls. Picture: Supplied

Mr Heath had 20 years’ experience as a pilot but had only just started learning aerobatics.

Lucinda Heath told The Courier Mail her husband’s love of flying was one of the reasons their family had moved from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast in January.

“He’d say ‘I can fly every day of the year up here’,” she said.

Ms Heath said her husband would often take their three daughters up in the plane for a Sunday fly.

“It was his happy place, he really loved it up there,” she said.

The ATSB will publish a final report once the investigation is completed.