Blind spot for pilot could have caused crash, coroner told

DUNEDIN - The pilot flying a small plane which crashed in Gibbston, central Otago, last year could have experienced a "visual trap" or blind spot, preventing him from seeing the terrace his wing fatally clipped, one expert told the Queenstown coroner yesterday.

The inquest into the deaths of Queenstown detective Travis Hughes and Whakatane pilot Chris Scott on January 29 last year resumed before coroner Alan Macalister yesterday after being adjourned Thursday afternoon.

The two men were on a cannabis-spotting exercise when their Cessna-172 clipped a wing and crashed to the ground.

The widows of both men attended the inquest with family and friends, including the twin seven-month old sons of Mr Scott, born after his death.

An expert witness described Mr Scott as an "exceptionally good" pilot, and experienced, having undertaken more than 1000 hours of cannabis spotting operations.

The witness believed the plane had lost power after experiencing a stuck valve, which, combined with thermals in the area, had caused the plane to drop.

He thought Mr Scott was attempting an emergency landing when the crash occurred.

The plane had been repaired for a stuck valve earlier in the week.

This scenario contradicted the findings of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, whose report into the crash said a recurrence of the valve problem was considered unlikely.

Former Wakatipu Aero Club president Carlton Campbell, now working for the Civil Aviation Authority, gave evidence based on his flying and training experience in the district.

Mr Campbell said the terrain and conditions in Queenstown were challenging even for experienced pilots.

Pilots often lost their "sense of the horizon" as they flew in the mountainous terrain, giving rise to potential for disorientation and loss of control.

Veteran Queenstown pilot Jules Tapper, an associate of Mr Hughes, also gave evidence, in an at times emotional testimony.

Mr Tapper believed Mr Scott experienced a blind spot on his right side which would have blocked the terrace which clipped his wing.

"It is my belief that the pilot never saw the terrain until that split second when his right wing tip collided with it and the plane swung violently around to the right," he said.

The coroner has reserved his findings.

- NZPA