April 30, 2026 | 09:59 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A flight instructor and a student pilot were killed on Wednesday afternoon, April 29, when their twin-engine aircraft veered sharply after take-off and slammed into a hangar at Parafield Airport, sparking a catastrophic fire.
As reported by ABC, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) confirmed that the deceased were men aged 24 and 29. The aircraft, a Diamond DA-42, was conducting circuit training when the accident occurred just before 2 p.m. local time.
Witnesses and investigators described a harrowing sequence of events. “Very soon after take-off, it has pulled very sharply to the left, and it’s continued all the way around about 180 degrees, not very high off the ground, not in the air for very long, and it’s impacted the building,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said as cited by 7news.
The plane, which was only in the air for a very short period and remained at a low altitude, plunged through the roof of Hangar 54 and burst into flames.
The impact and subsequent post-impact fire left a trail of destruction beyond the cockpit. While the two occupants of the plane died instantly, ten people on the ground were injured. Among them, a 55-year-old man from Underdale is fighting for his life at the Royal Adelaide Hospital with "serious and significant burns."
Two others remain in serious condition, while seven additional victims were treated for injuries ranging from minor burns to smoke inhalation. Dr. Dan Tran, one of two doctors who rushed to the scene to provide first aid, described the victims' injuries as "quite tragic", noting first-degree burns and severe blistering, according to 9News.
The fire presented a challenge for the nearly 60 Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) firefighters on the scene. The crash damaged the hangar’s hydrant system, rendering sprinklers inoperable and cutting off water supplies. Despite this, crews brought the blaze under control within 20 minutes, though not before the fire destroyed the DA-42 and several other aircraft being serviced inside the hangar.
Investigation Hindered by Damage
Investigators from the ATSB and South Australia Police Major Crash officers began processing the "horrific" site on Thursday morning. However, Commissioner Mitchell warned that the investigation would be complicated by the intensity of the carbon-fiber fire.
"The extent of damage was very extensive. And that post-impact fire will have done a lot of damage to the aircraft itself as well and to anything that’s on board," Mitchell stated.
The probe will reportedly focus on the flight's sequence of events and the mechanics of the sharp leftward veer. Investigators are currently reviewing dashcam footage, mobile phone videos, and eyewitness statements. While it is known that the pair were performing circuits, it remains unclear if a specific training maneuver contributed to the loss of control.
Safety Under Scrutiny
This tragedy marks the 70th training-related incident investigated in Australia over the past decade. It is also the second light plane crash at Parafield in recent months, following a non-fatal incident in January.
"We do want pilots to understand emergency procedures in a training environment, but training does bring an inherently different risk profile," Mitchell said, emphasizing that rigorous standards are vital to mitigating these risks.
South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens expressed his sympathies for the families and the traumatized student pilot community at Parafield. "You can't imagine how difficult that would be to process," he said as quoted by ABC.
The airport remains closed as authorities continue their on-site analysis, a process expected to take at least three to four days.
DEM
Read: Latest Facts on Bekasi Train Crash: Death Toll, Cause, Investigation
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