What happened
On Thursday, 24 January 2024, a Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP registered VH-CPQ and operated by Altocap Pty Ltd crashed in a paddock near Brownlow Hill, New South Wales, during a training flight. The aircraft, a 2000-manufactured single-engine trainer powered by a Textron Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine, departed Camden Airfield at approximately 15:10 local time with a 16-year-old student pilot as the sole occupant.
Just three minutes into the flight, the student pilot requested to land and subsequently lost contact with the control tower. The aircraft came down in a field approximately 3 kilometres from its departure point at Camden Airport. Emergency services responded quickly to the scene, but the young pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Cessna 172S was destroyed in the accident. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) was notified and commenced an investigation into the occurrence. A forensic examination of the crash site is ongoing, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
- On Thursday, 24 January 2024, a Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP registered VH-CPQ and operated by Altocap Pty Ltd crashed in a paddock near Brownlow Hill, New South Wales, during a training flight
- Just three minutes into the flight, the student pilot requested to land and subsequently lost contact with the control tower