The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has commenced a transport safety investigation into the accident involving a Van’s RV-8A two-seat light aircraft near Heck Field, on the Gold Coast, Queensland, this morning.
As reported to the ATSB, the aircraft was being used for a private flight when it collided with terrain shortly after take-off from Heck Field. The aircraft was destroyed in a post-impact fire, and the pilot and passenger on board were fatally injured.
The ATSB has deployed a team of transport safety investigators from its Brisbane and Canberra offices, specialising in aircraft operations, maintenance and engineering.
They will arrive on site on Tuesday afternoon, and over coming days will conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities, including site and wreckage examination, and recovery of any aircraft components of interest for further examination at the ATSB’s technical facilities in Canberra.
Investigators will also interview any witnesses and involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including flight tracking data and CCTV footage, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information.
The ATSB asks anyone with video footage of the accident flight, or its immediate aftermath, to contact us via the witness form on our website: atsb.gov.au/witness at your earliest opportunity.
The ATSB anticipates publishing a preliminary report, detailing factual information about the circumstances of the accident, in about 8 weeks.
A final report detailing findings and the analysis to support those findings will be released at the conclusion of the investigation.
If the investigation identifies a critical safety issue at any time the ATSB will immediately inform relevant stakeholders.