Embraer EMB120 accident near Darwin Aerodrome, Au, March 22, 2010
On March 22, 2010 at about 1:30 am local time, a Embraer EMB120, registered VHANB, was destroyed in an accident near Darwin Aerodrome. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 2 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2010 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Darwin Aerodrome, Australia
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Embraer EMB120 ER · all EMB120s on the register
- Registration
- VHANB · no longer on the register · serial 120-116
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On 22 March 2010, at 1009 Central Standard Time, an Embraer - Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica EMB-120ER Brasilia with two crew, prepared to take off on a training flight from runway 29 at Darwin Aerodrome, Northern Territory. The crew were the only occupants. The training captain advised the aerodrome controller that the departure would incorporate asymmetric flight (simulated engine failure) and was approved by the controller to perform the manoeuvre. After becoming airborne, witnesses reported seeing the aircraft roll and diverge left from its take-off path. They watched as the aircraft continued rolling left, and entered a steep nose-down attitude. It disappeared into trees, south of the runway threshold from where a column of black smoke was seen shortly afterwards. Aerodrome rescue and fire fighting services were in attendance very shortly thereafter and extinguished the fire. Both pilots were fatally injured and the aircraft was seriously damaged due to impact forces and an intense post-impact fire. The aircraft was equipped with two Pratt and Whitney Canada model PW118A gas turbine engines, each rated at 1,800 shaft horsepower and driving, through a reduction gearbox, a four-bladed Hamilton Standard constant speed, full-feathering, reversing propeller. The propeller blades were of composite construction. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), Australia. Further information pertaining to this incident may be obtained on their web site at www.atsb.gov.au. This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information obtained for, or released by, the ATSB.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Seats: 30
- Landing gear: fixed
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.