PILOTS are being warned to fly to the conditions after a light plane was caught in low cloud near Inverell, a new safety report has highlighted.
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On July 9, a Cessna 206 took off from Dubbo on a late afternoon private flight to the Gold Coast and Archerfield in Queensland with three passengers and one pilot on board.
The plane was about 15 nautical miles south of Inverell when the pilot noticed the weather deteriorating and low cloud about the ranges.
According to the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB), the pilot elected to climb in height and fly on visual flight rules but during the climb, the pilot told authorities a widespread frontal mass of cloud with tops around 12,000 ft was visible.
The pilot was forced to contact Brisbane air traffic control for navigation assistance and updated weather information as conditions deteriorated.
When the pilot considered diverting to Moree, he was unable to descend through a break in the cloud and turned his attention to Inverell.
That attempt was aborted when the pilot was unable to sight the airport and feared the lowering cloud base that was gripping the area.
During a turn, the pilot lost visibility about 3800ft after entering a cloud and immediately applied full power to clear the cloud.
The pilot then commenced a diversion to Tamworth, before deteriorating weather set in.
Following this, the ATSB said the pilot successfully managed to divert to Gunnedah airport and remain in visual conditions for the flight before landing just before 5pm.
No one was injured during the aborted landings and the aircraft was not damaged but the serious nature of the incident prompted an investigation by the ATSB.
According to the final report released on the incident, the pilot was unprepared for the actual experience of entering marginal conditions.
“Without set criteria of when to turn back, he was uncertain how far to continue on, particularly when within five nautical miles of Inverell aerodrome,” the report stated.
The report also noted it was crucial for pilots to have visual flight rules to maintain “orientation and therefore control of the aircraft”.
Safety investigators said the incident serves as a reminder for pilots to make conservative decisions when examining weather forecasts ahead of flights.
The ATSB said poor weather encountered on route, or poor planning ahead of time, could be the critical difference in a safe outcome for everyone on board.