The ATSB has commenced evidence collection as part of its transport safety investigation into an accident involving a Beechcraft B200C King Air, registration VH-PUY, near Normanton, Queensland, on Friday evening.
As reported to the ATSB, the pilot planned to conduct a return flight to Cairns after 4 passengers had disembarked the aircraft at Normanton.
Shortly after take-off from Normanton Airport's runway 32 at around 8.16pm local time, the aircraft collided with terrain and a post-impact fire ensued. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, sustained fatal injuries, and the aircraft, which came to rest in floodwaters about 1,000 m beyond the runway threshold, was destroyed.
Transport safety investigators from the ATSB’s Canberra and Sydney offices, with expertise in aircraft maintenance and engineering, are due to arrive in Normanton on Monday.
Once at the accident site, weather and access restrictions permitting, they plan to conduct a range of evidence‑ gathering activities including site mapping with a drone, wreckage examination, retrieval of the cockpit voice recorder, and recovery of other relevant aircraft components for further examination and analysis at the ATSB’s Canberra technical facilities.
Investigators will also interview witnesses, and the ATSB asks anyone who witnessed the accident, including ear witness, or anyone with footage of the aircraft at any stage of its flight, to make contact via the witness form on our website - atsb.gov.au/witness - at their earliest opportunity.
As well as on-site activities, ATSB investigators will obtain pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and collect weather information and any available recorded flight tracking data.
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. However, if the investigation identifies a critical safety issue at any time the ATSB will immediately inform relevant stakeholders.
The ATSB acknowledges the significant assistance being provided by the Queensland Police Service during the onsite phase of the investigation.