Double Six tragedy: Two Australian investigators died in another Nomad crash two months later

PETALING JAYA: Two Australian investigators from the manufacturer of the Nomad aircraft involved in the Double Six tragedy in 1976 died in another plane crash two months later.

The report declassified by the Australian Government shows that it was prepared by Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) acting chief designer David Hooper and chief test pilot Stuart Pearce.

The two died in a plane crash on Aug 6, 1976, two months after the Double Six tragedy while they were testing a GAF N24 Nomad in Victoria, Australia.

A Sydney Morning Herald report titled "Nomad survivor describes crash" dated Aug 19, 1976, said that the sole survivor of the crash, Pat Larcey, was the Nomad's flight test engineer.

According to a report on the incident, which can be sighted on the Australia Transport Safety Bureau archives, the flight was meant to "investigate the flutter characteristics of the aircraft in its accident configuration".

According to the report, flight take-off was normal before eyewitnesses on the ground observed the tailplane tabs fluttering and an unidentified component separate from the aircraft before it crashed.