CASA cancels operator licence after fatal Cloncurry crash investigation

Australia's aviation regulator has cancelled the operating licence of aerial surveillance company AGAIR, two years after a fatal crash near Cloncurry that killed three people, including two camera operators and the pilot. The decision follows ongoing scrutiny into maintenance and safety systems connected to the 2023 incident.

The ATSB previously found the pilot suffered hypoxia in the lead-up to the crash, linked to a longstanding pressurisation problem with the aircraft - a conclusion that framed the tragedy as "entirely preventable". CASA's published reasoning alleges the operator failed to ensure required maintenance was carried out and oversaw a culture in which defects were not properly recorded, allowing flights to continue with non-permissible defects.

For the families of victims, the cancellation represents more than an administrative action - it's a marker of accountability. Relatives of 22-year-old William Jennings, a US citizen who had reportedly been in Australia only days at the time, said the decision was a meaningful step toward justice for their son and the others who died.

The company is expected to challenge the cancellations in the Administrative Review Tribunal, and the outcome could shape how regulators and contractors manage safety oversight for aerial work supporting firefighting and surveillance operations, particularly across vast regional areas where flight risk is already elevated