2000 Australia Beechcraft King Air crash

Sierra Kilo Charlie

VH-SKC seen at Perth Airport one year prior to its fateful flight
Accident summary
Date	4 September 2000
Summary	Crew incapacitation
Site	65 km south-east of Burketown, Queensland, Australia
Passengers	7
Crew	1
Fatalities	8 (all)
Survivors	0
Aircraft type	Beechcraft 200 Super King Air
Registration	VH-SKC
Flight origin	Perth, Western Australia
Destination	Leonora, Western Australia

On Monday 4 September 2000, a chartered Beechcraft 200 Super King Air departed Perth for a flight to the mining town of Leonora, Western Australia. The aircraft crashed near Burketown, Queensland, Australia resulting in the deaths of all 8 occupants. During the flight, the aircraft climbed above its assigned altitude. When air traffic control (ATC) contacted the pilot, the pilot's speech had become significantly impaired and he was unable to respond to instructions. Three aircraft intercepted the Beechcraft but were unable to make radio contact. The aircraft continued flying on a straight heading for five hours before running out of fuel and crashing 65 km south-east of Burketown. The accident became known in the media as the "Ghost Flight".

A subsequent investigation concluded that the pilot and passengers had become incapacitated and had been suffering from hypoxia, a lack of oxygen to the body, meaning the pilot would have been unable to operate the aircraft. Towards the end of the flight, the left engine began to be starved of fuel and the aircraft crashed into the ground. The accident report said that, due to extensive damage to the aircraft, investigators were unable to conclude if any of the eight aboard had used the oxygen system. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) final report could not determine what incapacitated the occupants. A number of safety recommendations were made following the accident.

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Beechcraft 200 Super King Air, registration VH-SKC, serial number BB-47, manufactured in 1975. The aircraft had 18,771 hours of service before the accident. The amount of air passed into the cabin is controlled by bleed air valves on the engines. The positions of the bleed air valves can be altered by the pilot. According to the accident report, "The aircraft was not fitted with a high cabin altitude aural warning device, nor was it required to be." The aircraft was fitted with an emergency oxygen system—an oxygen tank which could supply oxygen to the crew through two masks located in the cockpit and to passengers through masks which drop from the ceiling of the cabin.