Speaking to ABC’s 7:30, RAAus chair Michael Monck said that one accident does not necessarily point to wider systemic problems. It comes as the organisation faces scrutiny over training shortfalls that allegedly contributed to the deaths of 20-year-old Luke Smith and his brother and cousin.

Following an unblemished record and nearly six months of service at Coulson Aviation, on 10 March 2025 Stewart Khouri was involved in a flight incident in which he damaged the helicopter that he was operating in efforts to tackle a bushfire at Canning Peak from the air.

VH-RRP, a Kubíček BB142P hot air balloon, sustained the 45cm tear while being cold-inflated prior to an early-morning flight near Beaudesert in Queensland on 18 October last year, and was patched up in the field with “specialised adhesive tape”, according to investigators.

In its submission to the draft plan, Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ) said it had “significant concerns” about the proposed legislation, including the Draft Aviation Consumer Protections Charter, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.