[Peetwo]

Popinjay flips the bird (again) at RAAus Pilot fatal -   

Via the other Aunty:

Pilot in fatal Nullarbor plane crash was 43-year-old Perth father-of-two Michael Hebbard

ABC Goldfields / By Jarrod Lucas
Posted Yesterday at 3:08pm


Michael Hebbard was the only person on board the light plane which crashed on the Nullarbor shortly after take off.  (Supplied: gofundme.com)

The pilot in last Friday's fatal plane crash on the Nullarbor has been identified as 43-year-old Perth father-of-two Michael Hebbard, described as a "loving partner" and "doting dad". 

Key points:

• Michael Hebbard, 43, of Perth, was killed in a light plane crash on the Nullarbor on December 16
  
• The crash occurred shortly after take-off from the remote Caiguna airstrip and was reported about 9:30am
  
• WA Police will prepare a report for the Coroner
  

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Michael Hebbard was a father of two young children.  (Supplied: gofundme.com)

According to his social media accounts, he served 10 years in the Royal Australian Navy and studied for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Curtin University.

"Mike was one of the most genuine, down-to-earth guys you were ever likely to meet and I wanted to do something to try and give something back to his partner Kristen and two young kids Finn and Stella at this terribly difficult time for them," Linton Allen posted on gofundme.com.

Cause of crash still undetermined

WA Police completed an initial investigation at the remote site over the weekend and the cause of the crash was yet to be determined.

Police said the plane crashed about 500 metres from the Caiguna Roadhouse, just off Eyre Highway, after taking off from the local airstrip.

He was making a stopover from Esperance and was believed to be transporting the aircraft to Queensland.


Online tributes described Michael Hebbard as a "doting dad".  (Supplied: gofundme.com)

Esperance Detectives took on the case after the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) declined to investigate, saying it typically did not investigate recreational aircraft accidents.

Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA) criticised the move, saying it wrote to the Minister for Transport Catherine King in November raising concerns about the ATSB's inability to conduct investigations due to limited funding.

"We have seen at least five fatal accidents in the past 12 months and many in the years prior where the ATSB has chosen to not investigate," RAA chief executive Matt Bouttell wrote in the letter.

"This equates to a significant cost to the Australian people through awaiting State Coroners to arrive at findings that often result in diminished safety outcomes due to a lack of subject matter expertise during the investigation and evidence-gathering phase.

"Moreover, Australian families are effectively forbidden from obtaining closure due to those deficient outcomes."

Mr Boutell told the ABC that RAA has provided police with technical support in the past, but it has no legislative powers to conduct fatal accident investigations.

"We have previously provided police with on-site support at accidents, including performing analysis around the circumstances of the accident however, in recent times it's become clear that due to the lack of legislative protections, we cannot keep 'propping up' the ATSB by doing so," he said.

"We have therefore said enough is enough, and that the Government should fund the ATSB for the purpose it is established for." 
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Some comments in reply, via AOPA Oz Facebook page:

Dennis Hill

Under the Chicago Convention, all aircraft accidents are meant to be investigated. The problem is the ATSB just don't seem to have the budget to do so.

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Gregg Bisset

Really sad. Lack of investigation ATSB should mean the end of RAAUS and CASA arrangements to increase weights as this could lead to a significant number of accidents not investigated and could in time have an impact on insurers. Michael's family deserve closure.

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Ian Mooney

Yet they are able to investigate a Cessna 182 GA accident west of Bris. Why is 1 worthy of investigation while another is not?

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Shannon Baker

Time to FOI ATSB finances and where the money goes. Oh boy imagine that can of worms.

Author

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Australia

Shannon Baker exactly. I am already speaking with Senators with respect to having this issue raised during the RRAT Hearings.

MTF...P2