The Australian Transport and Safety Bureau has released its final report into the June 12 emergency landing which left the 69-year-old Queensland pilot in a serious condition and a 32-year-old passenger with minor injuries. 

The single-engine Piper aircraft sustained major damage when it went down, clipping trees in the Pilliga Forest about 46km south west of Narrabri Airport just after 4.30pm.

Investigators have found the plane suffered an engine failure mid-flight after a hole in the right side of the crankcase was discovered in the wreckage.

The plane, which took off 3.30pm, was on route from Dubbo to the 

Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

About one hour into the flight, the plane was south of Narrabri when the pilot noticed a malfunction in the engine manifold pressure gauge.

Investigators said, after attempting various pow- er settings, the pilot turned the plane towards Narrabri in a bid to fly clear of the Pilliga State Forest.

“The pilot assessed the that the aircraft had a partial engine failure and performed trouleshooting checks,” the report stated.

“The pilot noticed the oil pressure gauge indicated decreasing pressure  as he descended.

“The pilot heard two loud bangs and observed the cowling lift momentarily from above the engine. The passenger observed a puff of smoke emanating from the engine and momentarily a small amount of smoke in the cockpit.”

Safety investigators said the pilot put the aircraft into a “glide” before issuing a mayday call for an engine failure and forced landing.

According to the report, at about 1000 feet, the pilot then shut the fuel off, deployed the emergency beacon then switched off the electrical system.

On impact, the pilot was seriously injured and lost consciousness while the passenger remembered the wings hitting the trees before the plane slid about 10m and coming to rest.

He then administered first aid to the pilot.

It took almost an hour for emergency services to reach the wreckage, as planes were diverted to the area to help pinpoint the crash location.

Following the crash, the pilot was airlifted by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Tamworth 

hospital with serious chest and head injuries while the passenger was taken by ambulance paramedics to Narrabri hospital and released the next day.

The Australian  Transport and Safety  Bureau said the pilot had flown from Sunshine Coast to Lightning Ridge, Brewarrina and Dubbo one day earlier but reported all engine indications were normal.