Report findings released into fatal Gold Coast flight, which killed Marcel van Hattem, Trista Applebee

A fatal plane crash off the Coast killing two - including a woman celebrating her birthday - was possibly due to the pilot performing low-level aerobatics. DETAILS INSIDE

A fatal plane crash off the Gold Coast killing two – including a woman celebrating her birthday – was possibly due to the pilot performing low-level aerobatics, a report has found.

Pilot Marcel van Hattem and friend Trista Applebee died when the two-seater ex-military Yak-52 aircraft crashed off South Stradbroke Island on June 5, 2019.

The pair had taken off from Southport air strip for a 30-minute joy flight, which was an early birthday present for Ms Applebee, 31.

Authorities began searching for the plane after it failed to return to the airport. In the following days after the crash, wreckage, and the bodies of Ms Applebee and Mr van Hattem were found.

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A report into the fatal crash, released by Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) this week, has found it was a “possibility” the plane was performing low-level manoeuvres immediately before it smashed into the ocean at high-speed.

“The ATSB’s investigation established that prior to the accident the pilot had conducted a number of aerobatic manoeuvres below 500ft above ground level,” ATSB director transport safety Stuart Godley said.

“While the absence of recorded data for the last phase of flight or witnesses to the accident meant we could not determine with certainty that the pilot was conducting an aerobatic manoeuvre immediately prior to the aircraft’s impact with the water, the ATSB considered it a possibility.”

The report found Mr van Hattem held an endorsement to conduct aerobatics at no less than 3000ft above ground level.

“During the accident flight and previous flights, the pilot conducted low-level aerobatics without having completed the required training or having the appropriate endorsement to do so,” Dr Godley said.

“This would have potentially limited the pilot’s appreciation of the inherent risks associated with low-level aerobatics.”

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While the pilot had been warned about the “risk-taking behaviour” no incidents had been formally reported, Dr Godley said.

“This accident highlights the inherent risks associated with performing low-level aerobatics where there is a reduced safety margin for recovery,” Dr Godley said.

“Even more so, it demonstrates the importance of being suitably-trained and qualified to conduct these operations.

“We encourage witnesses, particularly those within the aviation industry, to report any concerns regarding unsafe behaviours through mechanisms such as confidential reporting systems,” he said.

The investigation also found a “pre-existing fatigue crack” in the aircraft’s elevator bellcrank but said it did not contribute to the crash.

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Originally published as Report findings released into fatal Gold Coast flight, which killed Marcel van Hattem, Trista Applebee