By Tara Cosoleto
An ultralight aviation body deliberately tried to hide key details around their licensing of a pilot who died in a crash at Mount Beauty, a coroner has found.
The national governing body, Recreational Aviation Australia, will now be referred to the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions to consider charges over allegations it withheld key information during an investigation into the death of Mathew Farrell.
Mathew Farrell died in a crash at Mount Beauty.Credit: Facebook
The 42-year-old was killed when his light sports aircraft crashed into terrain near Mount Beauty in Victoria’s northeast on September 18, 2022.
An inquest heard Farrell had obtained his recreational pilot licence through the aviation body in April 2022 as part of an accelerated program.
But Lawrie noted while Mr Farrell had 257.5 hours of previous paragliding experience, he only had 3.6 hours of solo flight time in a recreational aircraft. About 3.3 hours of that training was completed in a single day.
“It simply beggars belief that a student pilot ... however talented they may be, could be trained effectively to certificate standard in one day,” the coroner said.
Farrell had set out from Mount Beauty Airport.Credit: Mount Beauty Airport
Lawrie also found cross-country and passenger endorsements were improperly issued to Farrell by Recreational Aviation.
“The improper issue of these three endorsements is indicative of RAAus failing to apply any process approaching sufficient robustness to confirm Mr Farrell’s eligibility,” he said.
The aviation body originally told the court Farrell’s previous paragliding experience could constitute recognised flying time. But the coroner found that was not the organisation’s belief at the time.
Documents showed the body’s then head of flight operations, Jillian Bailey, had told the chief executive that she may have inadvertently certified Farrell in contravention of the operations manual.
Recreational Aviation Australia management reviewed the training manual and determined Farrell’s paragliding history should not have been considered recognised aeronautical experience, the coroner found.
The documents confirming this information were only produced to the court after the coroner compelled the group to do so.
“RAAus engaged in a deliberate strategy to hide these key issues from the court,” Lawrie said.
“Ms Bailey gave evidence which was false in material respects, which also served to hide these key issues.”
Mathew Farrell.Credit: Facebook
The coroner referred Recreational Aviation Australia to the prosecutors for its conduct throughout the coronial investigation.
Lawrie noted the group has declared it would no longer investigate crashes involving recreational aircraft.
He made five recommendations, including that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau take over such investigations.
Farrell’s partner, Karen Waller, and her legal team said the findings confirmed their concerns around the way the 42-year-old obtained his pilot licence.
They were also “troubled by the obstacles” that were put in place during the inquest, a statement from Maurice Blackburn Lawyers read.
“It is alarming to hear the coroner conclude that RAAus had engaged in a deliberate strategy to hide key documents from the court,” they said.
Recreational Aviation Australia was contacted for comment.
-AAP
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