Coronial inquest into South Stradbroke plane crash that killed Martinus van Hattem, Trista Applebee
Families of a pair killed in a Gold Coast joy flight crash have shared their heartache as final evidence is heard including claims the pilot had a history of “dangerous” stunts. Day 3 evidence.
Police & Courts
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The families of two people killed in a joyride flight which crash off the Gold Coast have shared new insight into their devastation and loss at the close of a coronial inquest into the incident.
Pilot Martinus van Hattem, 52, and his sole passenger Trista Applebee, 30, were killed when his Yak-52 crashed near South Stradbroke Island on June 5, 2019.
The joy-flight was purchased as a gift for Ms Applebee, who was to celebrate her 31st birthday the next day.
The final evidence in the three-day inquest was heard in Southport on Thursday, with proceedings closed out by emotional statements from both families.
A letter from Mr van Hattem’s son Alexander was read aloud to the court, revealing he had needed to watch parts of the inquest from home because it was so overwhelming.
“Here with my brother Julian, who is living in the Netherlands, I wish to express our deepest sympathy to the relatives and friends of Trista Applebee, and in particular her daughter,” it read.
“We, family and friends of both Trista and my father, are victims of a very tragic accident that happened on June 5, 2019.
“Both our families will have to live with that loss for the rest of our lives. I hope and trust this will shine some light on what might have happened that day.”
Members of Ms Applebee’s family, including then-partner Glen Wilson, spoke outside the Southport courthouse on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Wilson said he remembered his partner being thrilled to go up in the plane, and hoped the inquest could lead to better education for pilots.
“Hopefully at the end of (the inquest), we’ll come to some answers,” he said.
Evidence heard on the final day of proceedings included testimony from aircraft engineer and decorated aerobatics pilot Nigel Arnot.
Mr Arnot said he met Mr van Hattem through the aviation community and offered to informally coach him in aerobatics, as he learned through conversation with his fellow pilot that he seemed to be performing manoeuvres beyond his experience.
He said he believed Mr van Hattem could have even been teaching himself aerobatics in his Yak-52.
“I was aware of what the aeroplane was capable of doing,” he said.
Mr Arnot claimed there was “not a chance” Mr van Hattem could have been properly instructed in aerobatics in the two hours documented in his training log, as such training should take at least eight hours.
He told the court he reprimanded Mr van Hattem after he performed an “unlawful, dangerous, (and) hazardous” attempt to fly into the Boonah air circuit while inverted.
“He was quite jovial about it at the time,” Mr Arnot said.
“I hoped he understood the gravity (of it), but that was all I could do at the time.”
Mr Arnot said he did not report it to Civil Aviation Safety Authority, but would have if it had happened a second time.
Former Australian Warbirds Association CEO Mark Awad claimed he was told Mr van Hattem would not immediately fly his Yak-52 after purchasing it in the second half of 2018.
He told the court he then heard the plane’s call signal over his radio while flying only weeks before the crash. The pilot then began applying for the membership necessary to fly a warbird.
Mr van Hattem’s membership was still pending when he died.
“He had not done anything to our knowledge to reach out to our community and say, ‘I now own this aircraft, here I am’,” Mr Awad said.
“We only knew him at that point as the owner of (his plane) and our limited concerns that the aircraft had been operated outside the requirements.”
Mr Awad told the court his association could not stop private pilots from performing aerobatics, but could recommended they complete further training if they were believed to be “deficient”.
He said AWAL received no reports of Mr van Hattem completing unauthorised flying, but any evidence of it could have been grounds to refuse his application and notify CASA.
Mr Awad also said it had taken him about 10 hours to complete his own aerobatics certification.
CASA sport and recreation officer Dr Anthony Stanton said he expected 10 to 15 hours would be the average amount of time for an initial aerobatic flight endorsement.
He told the court that prior experience was no reason to shorten or condense training.
“I would actually take longer, because it shows me that this person has a particular apprehension to risk-taking,” he said.
“I would not only want to teach the manoeuvres, but I would want to spend time with that person to try to change their way of thinking.”
Dr Stanton said his team generally needed people to report dangerous or unlawful flying before CASA could take action.
Southern coroner Magistrate Carol Lee is expected to hand down her findings in the new year.
Pilot’s credentials in spotlight in fatal crash inquest
New evidence has shed light on the qualifications and experience of a pilot involved in a fatal plane crash off the Gold Coast, as part of the coronial inquest to determine its cause.
Martinus van Hattem and his passenger Trista Applebee were killed when his Yak-52 crashed near South Stradbroke Island on June 5, 2019.
The Southport courtroom was again crowded for the second day of proceedings on Wednesday.
Evidence was heard from Southport Flying Club aerodrome manager Steve Rance, who said he saw Mr van Hattem’s plane taxi on the runway the morning of the crash.
Mr Rance told the court he could not distinguish any passengers but did notice the aircraft was set to take off downwind, which “wasn’t the right way to go about it”.
“I didn’t think anything was wrong, I just thought perhaps he was showing off,” he said.
Mr Rance said members of the SFC were required to follow the group’s policies and meet aviation standards, and could have their membership revoked if found to be flying unsafely.
He told the court that he had never personally seen Mr van Hattem’s pilot qualifications, but had heard in conversation that he performed aerobatics in his warbird.
“I would presume he would (be qualified), as doing aerobatics without a licence would be frowned on pretty heavily by the (Civil Aviation Safety Authority),” Mr Rance said.
Former SFC committee member and recreational pilot Gary Klein said he had previously co-owned a Yak-52 plane, and would discuss the warbird with Mr van Hattem.
He said he had flown with Mr van Hattem as both pilot and passenger in the months leading up to the crash to share his knowledge and experience handling the specific aircraft through aerobatic manoeuvres.
“I think (Mr van Hattem) was careful, enthusiastic,” Mr Klein said.
He told the court they always performed aerobatics above the required 3000ft threshold, which he said would have been “common knowledge” to those in the field.
It was heard Mr Klein approached a police officer investigating the crash to raise concerns about the cramped passenger area of Yak-52s, as it “wouldn’t be difficult” for the control stick to be knocked.
Stick ‘n Rudder owner and chief flight instructor Douglas Field was the final witness to give evidence on Wednesday.
Mr Field said he endorsed Mr van Hattem’s aerobic qualification in January, 2019, and had known him for years prior through the aviation community.
He told the court he knew almost immediately that the pilot had previous aerobatics experience.
“I do recall that he could perform those manoeuvres already, so in that instance I moved straight along to the instruction side of things to critique those manoeuvres and make sure they were safe,” Mr Field said.
“When I found out very unfortunately about the accident, it was very apparent to me that it wouldn’t be possible for him to be carrying out aerobatics in accordance with his rating in that area.”
He told the court he did not know who had first taught Mr van Hattem or whether the pilot had completed “self-learning” prior to being actually certified.
Mr Field said Mr van Hattem successfully demonstrated all the manoeuvres and defensive flying techniques required to be allowed to complete aerobatics at 3000ft in the air or higher.
He claimed he made sure Mr van Hattem was aware of his flying obligations, even though he completed the certification in less time than most people.
Mr Field said he needed to complete “quite a bit” of research into the Yak-52 before the flight assessment, as he had not performed aerobatics in that specific model himself.
“I do remember reading that there had been some spin-related fatalities with the aeroplane,” he said.
The inquest will continue before Southern coroner Magistrate Carol Lee on Thursday.
December 13: The family of a woman who died during a joy ride plane crash given to her as a birthday present have relived the fatal flight, watching video of the take off in a coronial inquest.
Emotional scenes played out at the inquest on Tuesday into the deaths of pilot Martinus van Hattem, 52, and his sole passenger Trista Applebee, 30. They were killed when his Yak-52 crashed near South Stradbroke Island on June 5, 2019.
The victims’ families – packed into a crowded courtroom in Southport – are hoping for long-awaited closure from the inquest to determine the cause of the plane crash.
Footage filmed by Ms Applebee’s partner Glen Wilson of the moments leading up to the final takeoff was played to the court.
Ms Applebee could be seen smiling and excitedly waving at the camera as the pilot talked through a pre-flight briefing and fastened her harness. Her family members were visibly emotional as the video played.
Assisting counsel Ian Harvey said the plane departed Southport at 9.45am, and travelled south to Broadbeach before heading north for South Stradbroke Island.
He said the search for the missing plane began within hours, with parts of the wreckage and Ms Applebee’s and Mr van Hattem’s bodies recovered in the following days.
“This was to be something of a treat for Ms Applebee, because the following day – June 6 – was to be her 31st birthday,” Mr Harvey said.
The court heard Mr van Hattem’s Yak-52 was manufactured in 1982 and was a type of aircraft commonly used for recreational and aerobatic flying.
Mr Harvey said the Dutch national had held a pilot certificate from Recreational Aviation Australia since 1999, then obtained a private pilot’s licence in 2014.
Mr Wilson said he met Mr van Hattem about a month before the fatal crash while helping a mate work on an aircraft.
He told the court Ms Applebee fell in love with flying on a previous joy-flight, which was why he booked in two half-hour runs with Mr van Hattem for the young mother’s birthday.
“We talked about the route and if she was happy with the flight and he wanted to do some aerobatics – maybe a gentle loop, maybe a gentle barrel roll,” Mr Wilson said.
“I thought it was a bit funny they hadn’t been back yet – I thought because it was her birthday, he might have extended the flight.”
Mr Wilson said he raised the alarm with another person at the Southport Flying Club and they began calling authorities.
He said he was not aware of Mr van Hattem’s exact qualifications at the time, and believed he would perform any aerobatics at the required 3000ft or higher.
Evidence was also heard from a couple who say they saw the warbird performing various manoeuvres near South Stradbroke Island, and are believed to be the last people to see the plane.
The pair said they saw the aircraft from their yacht anchored in Tipplers Passage, and thought the plane appeared to be in control until it flew out of sight.
“(My husband) thought it had gone behind the trees. I said at the time, ‘I hope it hasn’t crashed’,” the woman said.
“It was dead silence – there was no motor, there was no explosion, (and) you didn't hear anything go bang or a big splash.”
Coomera Forensic Crash Unit officer Senior Constable Kyle Hutchinson said eyewitnesses claimed the plane performed manoeuvres at “significantly less than” 3000ft in the air.
He told the court it was possible the plane had ‘snap rolled’ after being sharply pulled out of a dive, meaning it could have been inverted when it hit the water.
Ms Applebee’s cousin, Brock Alexander, spoke to reporters outside the Southport courthouse on the first day of proceedings.
“The family still struggles with the loss – especially my aunty, which is Trista’s mother, and (Trista’s) young daughter,” he said.
“I’m hoping to find out exactly what caused the plane to crash.”
The inquest will continue on Wednesday.
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