Engines Failed On Whyalla Plane
Illawarra Mercury
Wednesday September 27, 2000
A report has confirmed double engine failure as the cause of the crash of a Whyalla Airlines plane in May this year which killed all eight people on board.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the left engine failed after a fatigue fracture of the crankshaft while in the right engine a hole had developed near the top of the piston.
The ATSB said metallurgical tests on both engines and propellers were still under way.
But it ruled out fuel quality or quantity as contributing factors in the crash.
The Piper Chieftain came down on May 31 in South Australia's Spencer Gulf, near the end of a flight from Adelaide to Whyalla.
The plane and seven bodies were recovered, but one passenger remained missing.
Following the crash the Civil Aviation Safety Authority grounded the airline. The company folded in July after it lost a court appeal against the decision.
The ATSB report yesterday described damage to the plane as considerable, consistent with it entering the water while gliding.
© 2000 Illawarra Mercury
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