What happened
On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, an Air Tractor AT-504 agricultural aircraft registered VH-FFS and operated by Moura Aerial Agriculture was involved in a landing accident near Baralaba, Queensland. At approximately 09:30 am local time, the pilot, the sole occupant, was attempting to land when a foreign object became lodged between the rudder pedals, causing a sudden loss of control.
The loss of control led to the aircraft colliding with terrain. Following the impact, the aircraft caught fire and was subsequently destroyed. Despite the severity of the crash and the intensity of the fire, the pilot, a man in his 30s, managed to extricate himself from the wreckage with only minor injuries.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the accident to determine the exact sequence of events and the nature of the foreign object that interfered with the aircraft's controls.