A pilot who died instantly when his light aircraft nosedived into the ground near Braidwood was warned not to try to land, according to the official report into the crash.
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John Corbett was flying his single-engine XL-2 Liberty aircraft when it stalled and turned towards the ground in August last year.
Mr Corbett was intending to land at an airstrip on a property near Nerriga Road. He was flying in tandem with another pilot in a second but different make of aircraft.
"The pilot of the other aircraft, a recreational category aircraft better suited to operating from unprepared landing strips due to its landing gear configuration and higher propeller clearance, successfully landed at the property, but then called the Liberty pilot via mobile phone to advise that the runway was not suitable for their aircraft," the report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said.
"On a second orbit of the strip, at about 400 feet above ground level, and after crossing the marked end of the landing area, witnesses observed the left wing drop and the aircraft enter a steep rotating descent. The pilot was unable to recover control of the aircraft before it impacted terrain."
The owner of the airstrip, Alan Hannaford, said at the time: "He banked sharply and the plane went into a downwards spiral.
"It makes you realise how fragile we all are. Life can change in a heartbeat."
"He circled once, and when he circled a second time he'd gone past the bottom of the strip. We thought 'Oh that's it, he'll head off.'
"And in a heartbeat, the left wing dropped and the plane did a sort of a 90-degree spin and just drove straight into the ground."
The investigating agency warned pilots about the danger of stalling.
"The ATSB investigation found that the aircraft departed controlled flight after slowing and turning downwind with no flap selected," said the bureau's director of transport safety, Dr Mike Walker.
The ATSB has investigated several accidents where light aircraft have stalled and hit the ground.
"It takes a considerable amount of height, the magnitude of which is dependent on the reaction time of the pilot, and the use of appropriate recovery technique," Dr Walker said.
"This investigation highlights the need for pilots to minimise the risk of stalling, particularly when in proximity to the ground, such as during take-off and landing."
Mr Corbett was described by friends as a very private man. He was married with a grown-up son and daughter who were "beautiful".
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
