Lack of evidence has meant the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) has been unable to establish the exact cause of a Cessna 172 crash near Wentworth, NSW.
VH-WLF was destroyed and the pilot killed when it crashed near the Murray River on 28 May 2012.
According to the ATSB report released today, the aircraft struck the ground in a high-speed dive, which could be caused by only pilot input or airframe failure.
"The ATSB found that shortly after departure from Wentworth Airport the aircraft collided steeply with terrain at high speed and that the accident was not survivable," the report remarks.
"There was no evidence of any in-flight failure of the airframe structure or flight control system and the engine appeared to have been producing significant power at impact.
"Based on advice from the aircraft manufacturer following their consideration of on-site evidence, and in the absence of an identified problem with the aircraft, the ATSB concluded that continual pilot input was probably applied to the flight controls immediately before the impact with terrain.
"However, the possibility that the pilot may have applied that input as a result of incapacitation could not be discounted."
The report also goes on to warn pilots of delays in search and rescue response when the pilot leaves no flight details nor SARTIME.
The full report is available on the ATSB website.