Final report:
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/news-i...35-fighter-jet
The pilot of a Piper PA-28 that flew into the path of two F-35 fighter jets while approaching to land at RAAF Base Tindal, in the Northern Territory, was unable to communicate with air traffic control due to a loss of electrical power, and entered controlled airspace without a clearance.
An ATSB final report into the 28 August 2025 occurrence details that the single-engined Piper, with a pilot and passenger on board, was participating in the Outback Air Race.
Earlier on the day of the incident, when preparing the aircraft for the Daly Waters to Tindal race leg, the pilot detected a tripped circuit breaker.
The pilot requested assistance from a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer (LAME) who found the alternator was unserviceable – meaning the battery could not be charged by the engine. The LAME advised they could not fix it at Daly Waters, but further maintenance could be provided at Tindal.
“The LAME subsequently charged the aircraft’s battery and encouraged the pilot to conduct the flight, without assessing the time the battery could supply the aircraft with electrical power,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
“Further, despite the heightened potential for a loss of electrical power, the pilot did not conduct contingency planning prior to taking off for Tindal,” Mr Mitchell added.
En route to Tindal, the aircraft lost electrical power and the pilot was unable to communicate using the aircraft’s radio. In addition, the aircraft’s transponder ceased transmitting, and could no longer be detected by air traffic control.
The pilot and passenger also reported being unable to call air traffic control on a mobile phone, due to noise levels in the cockpit, however they were in communication with members of an air race group chat using a mobile device.
The report details communications on the group chat, and how other members made contact with Tindal air traffic control, which advised it was unsafe for the PA-28 to land at Tindal due to the level of traffic, and that the PA-28 should hold outside controlled airspace or land at the nearby Homebush Park airfield.
However, the PA-28 occupants responded in the group chat that they were not landing at Homebush Park and instead were tracking direct to Tindal.
In a subsequent exchange on the group chat, a different member of the chat asked if the PA-28 occupants wanted them to declare a PAN, to which the PA-28 responded that they did. The PA‑28 pilot later advised that as they considered that a PAN had been declared on their behalf, they thought that other traffic would be cleared from their planned flight path.
However, none of the Tindal air traffic controllers recalled a PAN being declared on behalf of the PA-28.
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