A 36-year-old pilot has died after his light aircraft crashed while conducting crop-spraying operations on South Australia's Lower Eyre Peninsula, authorities said.
Emergency services were called to farmland at Yeelanna, north of Cummins, at about 1:30 p.m. local time on Monday, where the pilot — the sole occupant and a resident of Port Lincoln — was pronounced dead at the scene, South Australia Police said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the aircraft "collided with terrain during agricultural spraying operations." The bureau announced it would deploy a team of transport safety investigators from its Canberra and Melbourne offices, including specialists in aircraft operations and engineering, to examine the accident site.
Investigators will gather on-site evidence to analyse at the ATSB's technical facilities in Canberra, the bureau said, and will release a final report at the conclusion of the investigation. South Australia Police said major crash investigators would also attend the scene and that police would prepare a report for the coroner.
Police and emergency service personnel remained at the rural site on Monday evening as initial enquiries continued. Authorities did not release details about the aircraft type, operator or immediate causes of the crash, and urged anyone with information to contact investigators.
Agricultural aviation — which includes aerial application of fertiliser, pesticide and seed — commonly operates at low altitude over farmland, where aircraft are manoeuvred close to terrain and vegetation. The ATSB's deployment of specialists in operations and engineering follows standard practice for incidents involving aircraft performance, operator procedures and technical factors.
The coroner's inquiry and the ATSB's independent safety investigation are separate processes. The ATSB's remit is to determine factors that may have contributed to the accident and to issue safety findings or recommendations as appropriate; coronial processes focus on establishing the cause of death and circumstances for legal and public-record purposes.
Local rural communities and aviation stakeholders have in recent years urged continued attention to safety in agricultural flying operations. The ATSB's forthcoming report will detail the bureau's findings and any recommended changes to reduce risks in similar operations.
No further fatalities or injuries were reported in the incident. South Australia Police and the ATSB said inquiries were ongoing and provided contact details for those with information relevant to the investigation.