PENINSULA Aero Club has submitted a report to aviation authorities after a light aircraft suffered engine failure and crash-landed soon after take-off at Tyabb airfield, 10.30am, Wednesday 25 November.

President Jack Vevers said the report found the probable cause of the forced landing of the Searey amphibious single-engine plane was a “result of fuel starvation”. He said the report “now sits with the regulators” – the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

The pilot was said to be “shaken up” after he crashed from “maybe 50 feet” on the emergency east-west runway and collided with a parked twin-engine Cessna 414 causing $20,000 damage (“Crash landing at Tyabb” The News 30/11/20). He was taken to Frankston Hospital with a sore back and for general assessment before being released.

An ATSB spokesman said at the time the bureau would not be conducting its own investigation into the incident as “doing so would be unlikely to uncover any new safety issues or learnings”.

Yesterday (Monday) Mr Vevers said he was waiting on the ATSB to “issue any recommendations” after receiving PAC’s report.

He said the plane had been dismantled and taken by truck to Queensland two weeks ago.

The pilot is not a member of PAC. “He lives in Queensland and is not part of PAC’s licence or training program,” Mr Vevers said.

First published in the Western Port News – 23 December 2020