Background
On 15 January 2025, a Private Pilot Licence holder commenced a flight under a special visual flight rules (VFR) approval from Bankstown Airport. The flight was authorized based on an amended terminal aerodrome forecast (TAF) issued at 0650, which forecast suitable weather conditions from 0800. The supervising instructor used this forecast to determine expected weather, believing the cloud would improve to scattered at 1,500 ft, providing visual meteorological conditions (VMC). However, the actual local weather at departure time was overcast low cloud, with observations indicating cloud at 1,100 ft and the ATIS at 1,000 ft. Neither the weather observations nor the automatic terminal information service (ATIS) were considered during the authorisation briefing. The instructor focused on weather near the Blue Mountains and quizzed students about VMC requirements. The instructor also believed that at a towered aerodrome, a VFR pilot would not be cleared for take-off if the airspace was not VMC, and did not anticipate a request for special VFR.
Incident
When the pilot contacted Bankstown Tower, the controller advised that the control zone was not VMC. The pilot decided to continue by requesting special VFR, a procedure with which they were unfamiliar. After being cleared, the aircraft departed. To comply with local procedures, the aircraft needed to maintain 1,000 ft altitude when departing Class D airspace. However, with cloud at 1,000–1,100 ft, it was impossible to remain 500 ft below cloud as required for VFR. Shortly after leaving the control zone, the aircraft inadvertently entered cloud below the lowest safe altitude and remained in cloud for several minutes. While in cloud, the pilot was vulnerable to spatial disorientation. Additionally, an instrument flight rules (IFR) aircraft departed Bankstown and climbed through the same altitude in close proximity.
Contributing Factors
The investigation identified two contributing factors: insufficient consideration of the prevailing weather conditions at Bankstown Airport by the instructor and pilot, resulting in neither identifying that the flight could not be conducted visually until the forecast weather improvement occurred; and the pilot's use of special VFR to depart with extensive low cloud present, which led to the aircraft entering cloud and increasing the risk of spatial disorientation, collision with terrain while operating below the lowest safe altitude, and collision with an IFR aircraft.
Internal Pressures
The pilot's flight training was covered by a government-backed loan, but the loan did not cover dual recency flights required by the operator. The pilot's 30-day recency period was close to expiring, and they believed the day of the occurrence was their best chance to complete a flight and avoid the cost of a dual check flight. These factors probably resulted in self-imposed pressure to undertake the flight despite adverse weather.