Collision with terrain, Gyroflug Speed Canard, VH-ZXZ, 20 km south-west of St George, Queensland, on 19 October 2004

At 0944 Eastern Standard Time on 19 October 2004, the Gyroflug Speed Canard aircraft departed Bundaberg, Qld, on a private flight to Parafield, SA, with a planned refuelling stop at Bourke, NSW. At about 1145, the pilot, who owned the aircraft and was the only occupant, radioed another pilot who was operating in the St George, Qld, area and advised that he was feeling dizzy, faint and disoriented, and was having difficulty lining up the aircraft to land on the St George runway. The aircraft remained airborne in the vicinity of St George for approximately 90 minutes. At about 1335, the aircraft impacted terrain 20 km south-west of St George, and the pilot sustained fatal injuries.

There was no evidence that the aircraft was not capable of normal operation at the time of the accident.

During a routine aviation medical examination in 2003, the pilot was diagnosed with diabetes.

The pilot apparently became incapacitated during flight and was unable to manoeuvre the aircraft to a successful landing.

It could not be established why the pilot became incapacitated, however a diabetes-related condition could not be ruled out.