Piper PA-31 Cheyenne crash, Jul 28, 2004 (6 killed), Benalla
Piper PA-31 Cheyenne accident on July 28, 2004 near Benalla, Victoria, Australia with 6 fatalities. Cause: Pilot unaware of track divergence in cloud,...
- Date: July 28, 2004
- Aircraft: Piper PA-31 Cheyenne
- Location: Benalla, Victoria, Australia
- Fatalities: 6
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: Pilot unaware of track divergence in cloud, with ATC alerts cancelled without confirming the pilot's intentions, and no TAWS fitted; the ATSB identified multiple contributing factors.
A Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II on a private IFR flight from Bankstown to Benalla diverged from its intended track during a GPS approach in cloud and crashed into a ridge about 34 km south-east of Benalla. The pilot was unaware of the deviation, and air traffic control route adherence alerts were not followed up. All six occupants died and the aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire.