Incident Overview
A pilot on a local training flight at Edinburgh Air Force Base experienced a catastrophic structural failure during approach. The tail separated from the aircraft, causing it to dive into the ground and crash near the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed, and the sole occupant, pilot F/Lt Glenn Kemshall Donovan, was killed.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined the probable cause as follows:
After being manufactured in 1982, the airplane was used by the Government Aircraft Factories (GAF), renamed Aerospace Technologies of Australia (ASTA) in 1987, for testing. Service records indicated that the aircraft accumulated 177 hours of single-engine ground running. This subjected the airplane to many high-frequency asymmetric cycles. Cracks initiated and grew predominately due to torsional loading.
Upon delivery to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the aircraft was inspected. However, this inspection failed to detect significant cracking. The tailplane centre section failed in flight 19 hours after the inspection.