WA: Pilot error, police management caused Newman crash tragedy

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WA: Pilot error, police management caused Newman crash tragedy

By Liza Kappelle

PERTH, Dec 17 AAP - Pilot error was the major cause of a plane crash which killed fourofficers in the worst single loss of life in West Australian police history, the statecoroner found today.

But the WA Police Service contributed to the preventable tragedy by letting SeniorConstable Donald Everett, 49, fly in breach of Civil Aviation regulations, Coroner AlastairHope said.

Mr Hope had been probing the deaths on January 26 last year of police pilot Snr ConstEverett and officers David Dewar, 31, Philip Ruland, 32, and Gavin Capes, 27.

The recently-serviced Police Cessna 310R crashed as it prepared to land after returningfrom a 1,800 km round trip to the isolated Aboriginal community Kiwikurra, near the NorthernTerritory border, to quell an outbreak of violence.

The plane spiralled out of control and crashed, three km east of Newman in the Pilbara.

Mr Hope said the men's accidental deaths were caused by multiple injuries resultingfrom the force of the crash, which could have been prevented.

"Evidence ... indicated the crash should never have taken place, the pilot should nothave been flying the aircraft in question at the time and that there may be serious problemswithin the Police Air Support Unit which contributed to the crash," Mr Hope said.

"The cause of the crash was fuel starvation ... caused by an error made by the dedicatedpoliceman who was a keen but inexperienced pilot."

The coroner said Snr Const Everett had failed to switch from the main fuel tanks tothe ancillary tanks after approximately 90 minutes of flight when the aircraft was cruising.

"This should have been done to use the fuel in the ancillary tanks so as to ensurethat the main tanks did not run out of fuel and that the aircraft could land using itsmain tanks," Mr Hope said.

"A double engine failure in the circumstances described would have posed a very majorproblem for any pilot."

The way the WA police service ran the ASU had contributed to the tragedy, Mr Hope said.

It was "particularly unsatisfactory" that there was only one pilot operating in countryWA, the largest police district in the world.

Nor was it appropriate for police to post an inexperienced pilot without a commandinstrument rating (CIR) work solo from Karratha when he was likely to be called to performhazardous duties.

Mr Hope said WA police failed to adequately consult ASU when making financial decisionswhich had affected safety.

WA police also failed to comply with the Civil Aviation Act when the service allowedSnr Const Everett to fly the twin-engine Cessna 310R.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority authorised ASU to fly on the basis of police guidelineswhich stated that pilots of Snr Const Everett's experience would be restricted to single-enginecraft.

"It was entirely unsatisfactory situation for the police service to appoint a personto work in circumstances where that person's performance of his duties would involve breachesof Civil Aviation regulations," Mr Hope said.

A police spokesman said tonight police needed to examine the coroner's findings beforeany comment could be made.

AAP lk/sd/cjh/br

KEYWORD: NEWMAN NIGHTLEAD