DHC-2 Beaver accident Australia

[7ECA]

Articles online purport some Aussie publication saying the front pax may have hit the pilot with his elbow while taking photos. Unless you really crack someone, a bump with an elbow shouldn't be anywhere near enough to incapacitate. Seems like a reach...

Report is due out early 2019 from the ATSB.

[North Shore]

MAybe not hard enough to incapacitate, but perhaps hard enough to cause a wince or startle reflex leading to a jerk on the controls at the wrong time?

[CpnCrunch]

It sounds like speculation at the moment:

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-u ... 29b42ff01c

The plane actually flew a long way "off course" after turning left up Jerusalem Bay, and that long portion of controlled flight seems unlikely to have been caused by a passenger knocking out the pilot. Sounds like damage control from the new part-owner.

[TailwheelPilot]

ATSB found pre-existing cracks in the exhaust and missing bolts in the firewall. Elevated CO levels in the pilot and two passengers, which they believe led to pilot incapacitation (he did seven prior legs that day, so would have built up CO levels in his blood throughout the day). As someone at PPRuNe pointed out, this jives with the leak about the pilot being unconscious - it makes more sense that the pilot was unconscious from CO poisoning rather than the front passenger accidentally hitting him.

ATSB recommends CO detectors with an active warning alarm. Final report out later in the autumn.

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/in ... -2017-118/

[pelmet]

I have a little yellow electronic CO detector that I can clip onto my shirt. Pretty handy.