Aero-Tropics Air Services Flight 675
On 7 May 2005, Aero-Tropics Air Services Flight 675 crashed while on approach to land at Lockhart River Airport in Queensland, Australia, on a ridge known as South Pap 6 nautical miles north-west of the airport. All thirteen passengers and 2 crew on board died as the aircraft was completely destroyed by impact forces and subsequent fire. The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner commuter aircraft, registered was owned by Transair Ltd and operated by Aero-Tropics. The flight was scheduled from Bamaga on Cape York to the regional centre of Cairns, with a stopover in Lockhart River. It was the worst air crash in Australia in 36 years since MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750 on 31 December 1968. The event is sometimes known as the Lockhart River air disaster.
Investigation
The Queensland Coroner's Inquest in 2007 found that despite evidence that there were a number of issues leading up to the crash, pilot error was the prime cause. "Aircraft engine and flight control system parameters were normal" during the descent, and no other structural defects were determined according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Families of those who lost their lives in the disaster have been highly critical of the Coroner's findings, the deficiencies in the operations of the regulator, and the poor company structure and practices of Transair Ltd.The investigation was aided by flight information from the aircraft's flight data recorder. The cockpit voice recorder was unserviceable, and had been for some time, so the conversations occurring between the flight crew will never be known.
Senate inquiry
As a result of intense lobbying by the father of one of the victims, Constable Sally Urquhart, and others, the Australian Senate's Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee resolved to conduct an inquiry into the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, its operations and other matters. The Inquiry was convened on 2–3 July 2008 at Parliament House, Canberra. As well as Mr Shane Urquhart's submission, there were sixty others which were considered by the Inquiry. The vast majority of the submissions were highly critical of most aspects of CASA's operations. Several people and organisations, including Mr Urquhart, supported their submissions in person at the Inquiry. In September 2008, the Committee Chair, Senator Glenn Sterle, released the report of the inquiry to the Transport Minister Mr Anthony Albanese and the public.The recommendations from the report are: