What happened
A twin engine airplane, owned and operated by Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd under the trade name Ansett General Aviation, was conducting a charter flight from Adelaide-Parafield Airport to Moomba. The flight was carrying seven passengers along with one representative from Santos Ltd.
During the initial climb phase, the aircraft was flying through cloud cover at an altitude of approximately 700 feet on a heading of 270°. During this period, the aircraft became uncontrollable and entered a left-hand turn. The plane subsequently descended in a shallow dive and struck the ground at high speed roughly 13 miles northeast of Adelaide Airport. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate, and all eight occupants were killed in the accident.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the primary reason for the crash was the loss of control of the aircraft and the failure to recover before impact. While the aircraft was operating within clouds at 700 feet and later emerged at altitudes between 300 and 500 feet prior to hitting the terrain, investigators found no specific meteorological conditions that directly contributed to the event. The precise reason why the pilot lost control and was unable to regain it remains undetermined.