Company behind fatal outback plane crash has operating licence cancelled

AGAIR operating licence cancelled by CASA two years after fatal Cloncurry plane crashBy Tobi LoftusTopic:Air Incidents10m ago10 minutes agoSun 15 Feb 2026 at 7:39pmOne of the victims of the crash was 22-year-old William Jennings. (Supplied)In short: Aerial surveillance company AGAIR has had its operating licence cancelled by the Civial Aviation Safety Authority after a 2023 plane crash that killed three staff members.The family of one of the victims, 22-year-old William Jennings, says it's the first step towards justice for their son. What's next?AGAIR is set to challenge those cancellations in the Administrative Review Tribunal later this month.abc.net.au/news/cloncurry-plane-crash-operator-licence-cancelled/106340998Link copiedShareShare articleAustralia's aviation regulator has cancelled the operating licence of an aerial surveillance company who lost three staff members in a fatal crash in outback Queensland in 2023.The firefighting surveillance aircraft, owned by Victorian company AGAIR, was completing contract work for the Queensland Fire Department in November, when the crash occurred near Cloncurry.In its report handed down last year, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found the pilot had suffered from hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen to the brain, in the lead up to the crash.This was caused by a long-standing pressurisation issue with the aircraft, with the ATSB labelling the crash at the time "entirely preventable".The plane burned up after impact. (Supplied: ATSB)Also on board the aircraft were two camera operators, including 22-year-old United States citizen William Jennings — who had only been in the country 11 days at the time of the crash.All three people on board died. The families of the other two victims have requested privacy.Now, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has cancelled AGAIR's air operators' certificate and revoked the aerial work certificate.CASA alleges in its decision published online that AGAIR "failed to ensure maintenance was carried out as required" in the lead-up to the crash.A timeline of the crash in outback Queensland in 2023. (Supplied: ATSB)"The authorisation holder was on notice of pressurisation maintenance defect issues but continued to allow the aircraft to fly missions at altitudes where it was clear that the defective pressurisation system of the aircraft was a serious safety issue," CASA said."The authorisation holder oversaw a culture of systemic failure to record defects and allowed aircraft to continue to fly with non-permissible defects that should have grounded the aircraft."This inculcated a poor safety culture within the company and compromised aviation safety."William Jennings had only been in Australia 11 days when the crash occurred. (Supplied)William Jennings' parents, Denise and Joe, welcomed the decision."Not a single day passes without feeling the deep heartache of losing our beloved son, Will," they said."We are extremely encouraged by CASA's decision to cancel AGAIR's air operators certificate and to revoke their aerial work certificate."It is a big step towards accountability and justice for our son Will and the others," they said.AGAIR has been contacted for comment, but the ABC had not heard back by the time of publication.But the ABC understands the company has launched an application to stay both of CASA's decision in the Administrative Review Tribunal.A hearing will take place over telephone later this month.Posted 10m ago10 minutes agoSun 15 Feb 2026 at 7:39pmShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesLiberals considering ban on some foreign citizens under tougher immigration stanceTopic:Liberal Party of Australia