2000 Australia Beechcraft King Air Crash

2000 Australia Beechcraft King Air Crash

Sierra Kilo Charlie was the call sign for a chartered Beechcraft 200 Super King Air which crashed near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia on Monday 4 September 2000, resulting in the deaths of all 8 occupants. The flight plan for the aircraft called for the pilot to fly between Perth, Western Australia, and the mining town of Leonora, Western Australia. During the flight, the aircraft climbed above its assigned altitude. When air traffic control (ATC) contacted the pilot, the pilot's speech had become significantly impaired and he was unable to respond to instructions. Three aircraft intercepted the Beechcraft but were unable to make radio contact. The aircraft continued flying on a straight heading for five hours before running out of fuel and crashing near Mount Isa. The incident became known in the media as the "Ghost Flight".

A subsequent investigation concluded the pilot and the passengers had become incapacitated and had been suffering from hypoxia, a lack of oxygen to the body, meaning the pilot would have been unable to operate the aircraft. Towards the end of the flight, the left engine began to be starved of fuel and the aircraft impacted with the ground. The accident report said due to the damage to the aircraft upon impact with the ground, investigators were unable to conclude if any of the eight aboard used the oxygen system. The final report, issued by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) did not come to a conclusion as to what caused the occupants to become incapacitated. A number of safety recommendations were made following the accident.