On 24 February 2009, at 1417 Eastern Standard Time, a Piper Aircraft PA28-180 Cherokee aircraft, registered VH-DAC, departed Normanton Airport, Qld on a visual flight rules private flight to Mount Isa with the pilot as the sole occupant. The aircraft did not arrive at Mount Isa as expected and was later found to have impacted terrain at a location adjacent to the planned track. The aircraft was seriously damaged, and the pilot was fatally injured. Examination of the wreckage did not indicate any pre-existing technical fault that may have contributed to the accident. The pilot was not qualified to fly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). He may have inadvertently entered IMC while attempting to avoid rain and cloud associated with a weather system that was moving over the intended route at the time.
