An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation has found that two people are likely to have died after severe turbulence aboard a chartered flight in the Northern Territory.
The plane departed from Gove for Katherine on Christmas Eve 2022, but never arrived. The plane crashed and its wreckage was discovered on Christmas Day.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said: “The aircraft likely entered an area of strong convective activity from the thunderstorm, exposing it to severe turbulence and reducing visibility for the pilot.”
Pilot Rhys Annis-Brown, 23, Source: Observer
“Analysis of the wreckage allows the ATSB to determine that the aircraft's right wing separated from the fuselage during flight, likely due to a combination of turbulence from a thunderstorm, airspeed in excess of the aircraft's control speed, and control inputs. ” explained the ATSB.
Pilot Rhys Annis Brown, 23, operated the flight during the first Northern Territory rainy season and had only been with her employer for five months, the Observer previously reported. . A 43-year-old woman who was riding with him did not survive.
“While it is not possible to determine with certainty why the pilot flew so close to the storm, it is likely that the pilot was in the process of turning or turning back when confusion occurred and/or the severity of the storm could not be determined. “Obviously, it could have been,” Mitchell said.
