Aviation experts weighs in after recent plane crashes at Palgrave, Tregony and Killarney

An aviation expert has weighed in after the Southern Downs recorded three aircraft crashes in recent months, including a tragic fatal incident at Palgrave.

Over the last six months, three separate aviation incidents occurred within close range of Warwick- is there any connection?

Three aircraft crashes in the past six months in a small radius of each other is a concerning and bizarre aviation trend, and now experts have weighed in on their thoughts on the matter.

On September 20, 2023, a firefighting helicopter crashed into a dam at Tarome, on the eastern side of the Main Ranges. Luckily the helicopter pilot made a miraculous escape and survived.

Mere weeks later, on October 19, 2023, a man was killed in a fiery light plane crash at Palgrave, southwest of Warwick.

The scene of an aircraft crash southwest of Warwick at Palgrave. Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 12pm. (Photo: NRM)

Former Royal Australian Air Force pilot, 63-year-old Merv Mudge, was the solo occupant of the plane that crashed after noon, bursting into flames on impact.

And more recently, only weeks ago, in the dense forested mountains near Killarney, at the Queensland border, another crash occurred.

The pilot of a light aircraft walked away unharmed after he was forced to make a hard landing near the Mount Colliery area on March 18.

There has also been a tragic plane crash in the Blue Mountains in May 2023, in which sadly the pilot and three passengers, including a two year old child, perished.

What is causing all these crashes

Arie Korf, lecturer of aviation and logistics at the University of Southern Queensland, said flying in this mountainous region could be riskier than other areas of Australia.

“There are certain times of the year in which the weather is particularly active on the East Coast in Australia,” Mr Korf said.

“For example, there is an onshore flow of tropical warm and cool air from the different offshore air masses towards the east of the continent.

“The air contains a lot of moisture to the Blue Mountains area where it is orographically lifted. This moisture condensates in the process and brings precipitation and turbulence along with it.

Police at the scene of an aircraft crash southwest of Warwick at Palgrave.

Statistics obtained by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show there has not been an uptick in aviation incidents in Australia.

(Source: ATSB Australian Transport Safety Bureau, 2024)

“For this reason (and others), weather is sometimes challenging but in no respect more than what a qualified pilot is trained to cope with,” Mr Korf said.

However, Mr Korf does not believe that the recent incidents were caused by this factor.

“If there are any commonalities, they are most likely coincidental. There are many aspects that are being investigated after each accident by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau,” Mr Korf said.

“These include technical aspects with the aircraft, human factors, environmental factors such as the weather, organisational considerations for example the operator policies, and the type of operation that was being executed.

Over the last six months, three separate aviation incidents occurred within close range of Warwick- is there any connection?

“Each of these may play an independent or contributory role in an occurrence such as an accident. It is up to the accident investigators to determine to what extent the different factors contributed to the accident.”

A spokesperson for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said there hadn’t been a statistically significant change in the number of accidents or serious incidents reported to the ATSB in recent years.

“Of the three specific occurrences you’ve highlighted, only one is being investigated by the ATSB, as the other two involved ultralight/recreational aircraft. As such we can’t draw any links between them,” the spokesperson said.

The summaries are:

• 20 September 2023: Firefighting Bell Helicopter 204B collided with water during firefighting operations. The ATSB is investigating this (AO-2023-044) and released a preliminary report in December here.

• 19 October 2023: Jabiru J160 collided with terrain resulting in fatal injuries to the pilot. The aircraft was an ultralight aircraft on the recreational register, which does not fall under the ATSB’s remit for investigation. The ATSB is providing technical assistance to the Queensland Police investigation.

• 18 March 2024: During cruise, Fisher Mark 1 kit built aircraft lost power and the pilot conducted a forced landing in a paddock. No injuries were reported, and minor damage to aircraft. Again, the aircraft was an ultralight aircraft on the recreational register, which does not fall under the ATSB’s remit for investigation.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is currently investigating the helicopter crash at Tarome, expected to be complete in early 2024.

Originally published as Aviation experts weighs in after recent plane crashes at Palgrave, Tregony and Killarney