A Queensland coroner has called for pilots licences to be made public in the wake of the crash that killed aviation identity Barry Hempel and passenger Ian Lovell.
The two died when the Yak 52 they were in plunged into the sea off Stradbroke Island in October 2008. Coroner John Hutton found the accident probably happened because Hempel had an epileptic seizure and failed to control the aircraft.
At the time, Hempel did not have a valid Commercial Pilot Licence and therefore should not have been conducting what was a paid joyflight.
In his findings, Hutton recommends that “CASA consider immediately introducing a Register of Pilots which includes reference to suspensions and cancellations. That further dissemination should be by way of, a readily available entry on the CASA website in the form of the Register of Pilots, in the CASA briefing newsletter and the bi-monthly electronic magazine ‘Flight Safety Australia’.”
The coroner’s report slams CASA’s handling of Hempel, saying that the medical division failed to heed prior warnings of his epileptic history and allowed him to keep a PPL despite a litany of 35 known regulation breeches going back to 1968.
“The evidence at the Inquest gave an impression of a man who believed he was ‘above the law’ so to speak,” the report states. “No doubt he believed his flying prowess was such that he could decide, rather than CASA, what risks could or could not be taken.
“It could be argued that the number and nature of Mr Hempel's breaches and the fact that many were repeated breaches indicated that Mr Hempel would probably never comply with safety regulations. In the light of the extensive history of breaches it is indeed extraordinary that he was left with even a Private Pilots Licence.”
According to Hutton, such a register would enable the paying public to check on a pilot’s qualifications before deciding to fly with them.
In addressing potential fears a Register of Pilots could be a breach of privacy, Coroner Hutton stated that CASA should refer to “a range of entities which have long published such Registers.”
The coroner's findings can be downloaded from the QLD courts website.