Skymaster Air Services

Piper PA-31 Cheyenne

The twin engine aircraft, with a pilot and a flight nurse on board, was being operated by Skymaster Air Services under the instrument flight rules (IFR) on a flight from Bankstown Airport, New South Wales (NSW) to Archerfield Airport, Queensland. The aircraft was being positioned to Archerfield for a medical patient transfer flight from Archerfield to Albury, NSW. The aircraft departed Bankstown at 0740 Eastern Standard Time. At 0752, the pilot reported to air traffic control (ATC) that he was turning the aircraft around as he was having ‘a few problems. At about 0806, the aircraft collided with a powerline support pole located on the eastern side of the intersection of Sackville Street and Canley Vale Road, Canley Vale, NSW. The pilot and flight nurse sustained fatal injuries and the aircraft was destroyed by impact damage and a post-impact fire.