The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB WPR13WA030 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 172 accident near Ballarat, Australia, Au, October 29, 2012

On October 29, 2012 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered VHTKI, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ballarat, Australia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.

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
October 29, 2012 · about 1:00 pm local time
Place
Ballarat, Australia, Australia
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Cessna 172 N · all 172s on the register
Registration
VHTKI · no longer on the register · serial 17270881
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules

The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record

On October 29, 2012, at 1300 universal coordinated time, a Cessna 172N, VH-TKI, operated by a private individual under the pertinent civil regulations of the government of Australia, collided with a wire while on approach for landing near Ballarat Aerodrome, Australia. The airplane was substantially damaged and the pilot and one passenger were seriously injured. Another passenger was fatally injured. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Australia. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by the Government of Australia. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) P.O. Box 967, Civic Square Canberra A.C.T. 2608 Australia Tel: +612 6274 6054 Fax: +612 6274 6434 www.atsb.gov.au

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

  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
  • Fire on the ground

The flight

  • Flight plan: not recorded

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1
Passengers11

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.

Other NTSB records under VHTKI the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

2022-11-19GAA23WA032 · accident near Richmond · substantial damage · serious injuries

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.