QUESTIONS were raised about aeroplane maintenance yesterday during in inquest into a Mount Hotham aircraft crash that killed three people.
The Victorian Coroner’s Court was told the light plane that crashed killing Ceres pilot Russell Lee and his passengers, Gold Coast multi-millionaire Brian Ray and wife Kathy, was only required to have a visual inspection during its service.
The probe into their deaths comes after their Piper Navajo Chieftain plane crashed into trees in July 2005 and the bodies recovered three days after the accident.
An investigation following the crash revealed a bolt that connected the throttle was missing.
Aviation consultant Robert Macgillivray said there could be about 10,000 nuts and bolts on some planes and it was impossible to physically check if they were tightened.
He said there was no obligation under the law to do so.
“Maintenance errors do happen,” Mr Macgillivray said.
There has been no evidence to suggest Mr Lee’s aircraft was not serviced after the required 100 hours flying time or maintenance officers did not perform their duties adequately.
The court was told there would never be sufficient evidence to determine when the bolt fell off, how it became unstuck or who was at fault.
Mr Macgillivray said the pilot did not breach aviation regulations when he flew from Essendon to Mount Hotham despite the weather conditions, which he described as “extreme”.
The inquest was this week told aviation authorities monitored Mr Lee’s flying practices for several years and he had received reprimands for flying low at night and into controlled airspaces.
Mr Macgillivray said the infringements were more “carelessness” than an actual piloting problem.
“I don’t see safety breaches contributed to the accident,” he said.
Mr Macgillivray said he believed the engine had cut out.
“The propeller was not being driven by any significant power at the time of impact,” he said.
Senior transport investigator Neville Blyth said he believed the propeller was still rotating when the accident happened.
He refuted evidence given earlier in the week that the only reason the propeller blade was bent backwards was because it was not spinning at the time of collision.
He said there were several explanations why the blade was bent backwards including the engine and propeller becoming disconnected from the wing after the impact and being damaged as it tumbled in the icy terrain.
The inquest before Coroner Audrey Jamieson continues today.
See original at http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2009/04/30/66881_news.html