The ATSB’s final report, released October 28, finds that a likely prohibited spin entry preceded the February 6, 2026 Goolwa accident. All three occupants of Cessna 210N VH-RDH died. These are new findings about an earlier accident.
Accident timeline
The Goolwa Air aircraft departed Goolwa Airport around 16:08 local time on a private experience-building flight. It struck water near Murray Mouth around 16:21, about 14 kilometres southeast of the airport.
What investigators concluded
The ATSB report AO-2026-010 finds the instructor likely initiated a spin so the left-seat pilot could practise recovery, although intentional spins were not approved in that aircraft. Recovery was likely mishandled, with instructor intervention too late for the available height.
Previous activity and reporting
Investigators documented prior spin violations and progressively lower entry heights. The violations were not reported to the operator or CASA, so no action stopped them. This is not a finding that a formally submitted warning was ignored.
Safety message and report status
The ATSB stresses aircraft spin-approval limits and barriers to reporting unsafe behaviour. The investigation is completed; these findings do not determine legal liability. March’s preliminary report contained no final findings.
The linked report provides the evidence and investigators’ analysis. Its witness-video stills and flight-path illustrations remain on the original source; no third-party accident imagery is reproduced here.
See our Australia aviation coverage.
Archive type illustration: Cessna 210N N4983U at Daytona Beach, January 18, 2026. This is a different aircraft from VH-RDH, not Goolwa, a spin demonstration or the accident flight. Photo: ZLEA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and compressed to WebP; derivative retains the same licence.
