Near collision involving a Socata TB-10, VH-BXE and Bell 206B (III), VH-UBH, Adelaide, South Australia, on 22 January 1994

The pilot of VH-BXE, who was conducting a scenic coastal flight, was cleared initially at 1,500 feet and instructed to descend to 1,000 feet at Brighton Jetty.

The pilot of helicopter VH-UBH was operating on surf patrol duties, seawards of the coast not above 500 feet. As he was being given traffic on VH-BXE he noticed that aircraft to his right at about the same altitude, with 50-100 feet lateral separation. He queried its assigned altitude with air traffic control, who advised it should have been at 1,000 feet. The pilot of VH-BXE then reported climbing to 1000 feet.

The pilot of VH-BXE later stated that the normal cleared altitude for this particular flight is at 500 feet, and he had mistakenly descended to that altitude, although on this occasion the clearance had been at 1,000 feet.