Overview
- The single-seat, amateur-built replica Spitfire crashed in cleared bushland at Malabaine, east of Northam, and emergency services found the sole occupant deceased on Wednesday morning.
- The pilot was 76-year-old Malcolm Vivian of Perth, who built the aircraft himself and was known locally as an experienced builder, TC inspector and active member of sport aviation clubs.
- ATSB investigators from Canberra have arrived on site to examine the wreckage, recover components for technical analysis, interview witnesses, and collect flight tracking, maintenance and weather records.
- Friends and witnesses reported recent successful touch-and-go testing and one close friend said he did not believe pilot error caused the accident; aerial footage showed emergency crews and wreckage off the Great Eastern Highway.
- The ATSB has asked the public for any video of the flight, will publish a preliminary report in about eight weeks, and a coroner’s process and further technical work will follow to determine the final cause.