The NSW police service was responsible for investigating the accident on behalf of the state Coroner. On 10 April 2013, investigating officers contacted the ATSB and requested assistance with the recovery of data from the aircraft’s Dynon Avionics Skyview system. The display unit and control module were subsequently sent to the ATSB for examination and an investigation was initiated under the provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.
The ATSB liaised with the manufacturer of the display unit and was able to successfully disassemble and download flight data stored on the unit. The flight data contained the accident flight, however the flight data ended moments before the aircraft collided with terrain. An archive file, containing the downloaded flight data is released as Appendix A to this report and contains four comma-separated value (.csv) files. Attention is directed to the Data Limitations section of the main report, should any analysis of the recorded information be undertaken.
The ATSB report and the associated data were prepared by the ATSB to assist the NSW police investigation. The ATSB report, including the referenced data files, has been released under section 25 of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (the Act). Per section 27(1) of the Act, this report and the appended data files are not admissible in evidence in any civil or criminal proceedings. The device containing the original data was returned to the NSW Police Service on 13 November 2013.
Technical assistance to the NSW Police – Recovery of data from an avionics system VANS RV-12, Lismore Airport NSW on 24 March 2013
http://www.atsb.gov.au
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| Wayne Fisher from Spectrum Aviation. |
MOMENTS before a plane crash that killed a veteran pilot at Lismore earlier this year, the aircraft's nose pitched vertically upwards, causing a fatal stall.
A stall is when an aircraft loses lift and begins to fall from the sky. It has nothing to do with the stalling of an engine.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau final report into the March 24 death used data from the plane's flight recorder to help establish the cause of the crash.
The crash killed local pilot and aero entrepreneur Wayne Fisher who was taking a popular kit-built Van's Aircraft V-12 plane on its first flight while the plane's owner looked on.
Mr Fisher was a well-respected pilot and founded Spectrum Aviation in 1989, a local business that constructed experimental-class hobby planes and instructed amateur pilots. He was qualified to test kit-built planes for their first 25 hours of flight.
Bill Kiernan, chief flying instructor at the Northern Rivers Aero Club said the plane's fate was sealed when it nosed up from a normal 10-15 degree take-off angle to around 65 degrees.
"The attitude (angle) it reached would have caused the stall. All of a sudden it would have pitched up; to someone on the ground it would have looked vertical," Mr Kiernan said.
With the light aircraft unable to maintain lift at that incline, it would have nose-dived and rolled "quite violently", he said.
But Mr Kiernan said while the ATSB report shed light on what happened in the seconds before the tragic accident, what exactly caused the steep climb would remain a mystery.
"I watched this aeroplane being built and everything was done exactly as per the instructions," he said.
"The plane took around a year to put together, I'd say a minimum 1000 hours."
Mr Kiernan said what was defined as "experimental" kit planes were very popular, with a good safety record.
"They're not plunging from the sky every week."
http://www.northernstar.com.au
Experienced pilot, entrepreneur, aircraft engineer, flight instructor, fitness fanatic, loving father and a "character in aviation" are just some of the words to describe the late Wayne Fisher. Mr Fisher was killed when the kit-built RV-12 he was testing for a local man smashed to the ground just after take-off about 9am on Sunday.
News of his death quickly spread across the Australian aviation industry and overseas.
A highly skilled pilot and passionate aviation enthusiast, Mr Fisher established Spectrum Aviation in 1989 at Lismore.
Over the past 24 years, Mr Fisher had designed and built four models of his Fisher Ultralight.
He had also been involved in the construction of thousands of ultralight aircraft and drifters, many his own Fisher models.
Northern Rivers Aero Club president Wally Soward said Mr Fisher was an associate of the club who had many friends in the industry.
"Wayne was great, he always fitted in with everyone and was very good at what he did and if you wanted a bit of help you would just ask him and it was done," Mr Soward said.
"People will remember his flying displays at the Evans Head Fly-In; he was so terrific at aerobatics."
Mr Soward said Mr Fisher's death had left a void in the aircraft fraternity that will be hard to replace.
"Wayne will be sorely missed, he was a great man."
Northern Rivers Aero Club chief flying instructor Bill Kiernan said as soon as the crash happened he got a phone call from a pilot who witnessed it.
Mr Kiernan said the RV-12 Mr Fisher was flying was built and maintained to the highest standard.
"Wayne was a pilot of outstanding ability who put a lot into aviation," he said.
"He was not the sort of fella you will see the likes of again."
Two aircraft enthusiasts who knew Mr Fisher well said they were still trying to overcome the shock.
"When I first heard about Wayne I couldn't believe it, he was such a talented pilot," one man said.
"Wayne was so well known and well liked, he will be sorely missed," said the other.
Recreational Aviation Australia investigators are working with police to prepare a report on the crash for the coroner.
Source: http://www.echonews.com.au
The local aviation community is in shock after a well-known local pilot/ instructor died in a light plane crash at Lismore Airport yesterday morning.
About 9am the ultralight plane on its maiden flight carrying only its pilot, Lismore man, Wayne Fisher, had begun to take off from Lismore airport, before something went wrong and the plane hit the ground.
Relieving Duty Officer Acting Inspector Virginia Szaak of Richmond Local Area Command spoke soon after the crash.
"(The plane has) gotten about 100m into the air... it's collided with the ground, killing the pilot instantly," Acting Insp Szaak said.
At that point she said that the person on board the Van's RV-12 was a local Lismore man who was an experienced pilot associated with the Northern Rivers Aero Club.
The pilot was later in the day confirmed to be Wayne Fisher, 62, a pilot and instructor with over 30 years experience in aviation.
Late yesterday, Inspector Matt Kehoe of Richmond Local Area Command said that Mr Fisher's next of kin had been advised, however positive identification of Mr Fisher would not be given until dental records were examined.
Mr Fisher was the owner and operator of Lismore-based Spectrum Aviation, and had worked on the construction of over 230 ultralight aircraft, according to the business's website.
A friend and fellow pilot, who did not want to be named, said he was very shocked to hear about Mr Fisher's death.
"He's a very experienced flyer and a very respected flying instructor," the friend said.
"The entire aviation community is in deep shock over this."
The friend said Mr Fisher had been flying "since he was a boy" and that he was a regular performer at aviation meets, most notably at the Great Eastern Fly In at Evans Head each year.
"He was a real gentleman - very quiet, reserved, very safety-conscious," the friend said.
"He will be very sadly missed."
Insp Kehoe said on-scene investigations into the incident, conducted with Recreational Aviation Australia, concluded yesterday afternoon.
The airport was closed up until the late afternoon, causing disruption to Rex services, Insp Kehoe said.
http://www.northernstar.com.au
The scene of the light aircraft crash at Lismore Airport.
Picture: Channel 9
Source: Supplied
An experienced pilot died when the aircraft he was flying on its maiden flight crashed in northern NSW yesterday.
Respected pilot and small business owner Wayne Fisher, 62, was flying an owner-built RV-12 kit plane when it crashed moments after take-off at Lismore airport about 9.50am.
It is understood Mr Fisher was testing the plane for someone else when it went into a dive at 300ft.
"(He) hit the ground after reaching only a couple hundred feet in the air," Northern Rivers Aero Club chief flying instructor Bill Kiernan said. "If you can imagine a head-on car crash, it's similar."
A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesman said the aircraft was completely destroyed by fire. Mr Fisher's friends said he was a well-respected expert pilot who could "do things with aeroplanes other people couldn't".
"It's scary when this happens to a pilot who is so good and so experienced," a friend from Ballina said.
"Something catastrophic must have happened."
Mr Fisher owned Lismore-based company Spectrum Aviation and his website boasts he had flown ultralights for more than 30 years as a pilot and instructor and holds an aerobatic rating.
Police are investigating the crash and will prepare a report on the accident for the coroner.
Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au
http://www.raa.asn.au
A pilot with more than 30 years flying experience has been killed after the Vans RV-12 aircraft he was taking on a test flight crashed in the state’s north.
Wayne Fisher, 62, was killed instantly when the plane crashed shortly after take-off at Lismore Airport at 8.50am on Sunday.
No one else was on-board the plane, which police said was on its maiden test flight.
The Vans RV-12 was approved to fly on Friday and it’s owner was reportedly watching by the runway as the incident unfolded.
Witnesses said the aircraft was involved in a high speed collision with the ground.
"It’s got about about 100 metres into the air before it collided with the ground and killing the pilot instantly," Acting Inspector Virginia Szaak said. "The weather conditions ... are quite clear and favourable for flying."
Mr Fisher was the owner and operator of Spectrum Aviation, a Lismore company that maintained ultralights and also taught others how to fly.
It was established in 1989, and in that time Mr Fisher worked on the construction of more than 230 of the aircraft.
He worked out of a large hangar at Lismore Airport and was also a member of the Northern Rivers Aero Club.
Friends and colleagues have paid their respects to Mr Fisher on aviation forums. "An Icon has been lost. My heart is ripped at the moment," one posted.
Another said: "One of our sports' founding originals, and just a real nice bloke. Can't believe he’s gone."
http://www.spectrumaviation.com.au
UPDATE: 3PM Image gallery from crash site by Northern Star photographer, Cathy Adams
"About nine o'clock, an aircraft on its maiden flight has taken off from Lismore airport. It got about 100m into the air and it collided with the ground, killing the pilot instantly," Acting Insp Szaak said.
She said at this point they could confirm that the person on board the RV-12 was a local Lismore man who was an experienced pilot associated with the Northern Rivers Aero Club.
Acting Insp Szaak said that they were currently trying to establish a next of kin and that investigations were continuing.
9.45am, Sunday March 24:
Police have confirmed that this morning, shortly before 9am, a light plane has crashed at Lismore Airport.
Emergency Services are on the scene extinguishing flames.
Source: http://www.northernstar.com.au
An experienced pilot has died in a light plane crash in northern NSW.
The man died when the RV-12 owner built aircraft crashed at Lismore Airport about 9.50am. There were no other passengers on board.
A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesman said the aircraft was completely destroyed by fire, with three fire crews and a Rural Fire Service crew extinguishing the flames by 10.30am.
Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA) president Steve Runciman said it was too early to establish the cause of the crash, but the man was an experienced pilot. He said the plane was a private charter, and RAA investigators would assist police with their inquiries.
"I'm sure I speak on behalf of all our members in saying our thoughts are with his family and friends,'' Mr Runciman said.
Police said the airport is closed to all air traffic as Lismore detectives, the Aviation Support Branch, and aviation specialists investigate the crash.
Source: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner after a man died in a light plane crash in the State’s north.
Shortly before 9am today (Sunday 24 March 2013), a light plane crashed at Lismore Airport.
The male pilot of the aircraft died at the scene.
There were no passengers on the plane.
The airport is closed to all air traffic and emergency services are on the scene.
Lismore detectives are at the site investigating the crash, assisted by the Aviation Support Branch, and aviation specialists.
