Pilots killed in 2017 crash had no experience of flying in wet season conditions

Two pilots killed in a plane crash near Darwin had no experience flying in wet season conditions, an investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found.

Darcy McCarter, 23, and Daniel Burrill, 33, were transporting the body of a man back to Elcho Island for a funeral when the tragedy occurred on 23 October 2017.

Shortly after taking off from Darwin Airport, the Air Frontier Cessna 210 light plane got caught in a storm cell, despite attempting to fly around it.

Witnesses saw the plane descending rapidly into bushland near Howard Springs, with a section of each wing missing .

Both men were killed in the crash.

Investigators found "a combination of airspeed, turbulence and control inputs probably led to excessive loading on the aircraft's wings, which separated from the fuselage in-flight."

The ATSB said identifying an appropriate distance to keep from thunderstorms was "particularly challenging" and came through experience flying in the tropics.

"In many cases, deviations of 10 nautical miles may not be enough for an aircraft to remain safely clear of the turbulent and powerful forces associated with storms," Transport Safety Executive Director Nat Nagy said.

The Top End is known for its thunderstorms and severe weather in the months before the wet season, known as the 'build-up'.

While one of the men was an experienced pilot and supervising the other, neither had experience flying in build-up conditions.

The ATSB founds steps should be taken to reduce the risk of flying during the build-up to wet season.

"Smaller operators employing pilots with limited exposure to local conditions can better manage related risks by pairing new pilots with ones who are experienced in flying in the Top End," Mr Nagy said.

Daniel Burrill's father John told 9News he was glad the investigation had concluded and hoped the findings would keep other pilots safe.

He agreed that local airlines must be more diligent flying during the build-up and ensure pilots had experience in local conditions.

He agreed that local airlines must be more diligent flying during the build-up and ensure pilots had experience in local conditions.

In a statement, Air Frontier General Manager Kylie Hunt said the company's pilot training had always exceeded CASA's requirements.

"Prior to Darcy joining the company, he did specific training on the type of aircraft he would be operating, this training was done through an external training organisation during the wet season in Darwin," she said.

"Prior to Dan coming to Darwin, he completed training with an external training organisation for the purpose of flying in Darwin."

Ms Hunt said a week before the crash, Air Frontier had also sent out its annual wet season advisory circular to remind pilots about weather avoidance.