Overview
- The crash occurred during the Avalon International Airshow display on March 28, 2025 when a Pitts S1-11X flown by Glenn Collins failed to recover from a triple avalanche manoeuvre and struck the ground.
- The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its final report on June 30, 2026, concluding the manoeuvre was started significantly lower than prior flights and a low nose attitude during the snap rolls limited climb and left insufficient height to complete the loop.
- Investigators used a forward-facing GoPro from the cockpit that showed altimeter and airspeed readings and helped reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the loss of height.
- The aircraft came to rest inside the show’s pyrotechnic detonation area, which complicated first-responder access and revealed gaps such as no external canopy-opening instructions for emergency crews.
- The AMDA Foundation has accepted the findings and will impose minimum heights and a 100-foot buffer at Avalon, create an Air Display Safety Forum, add first-responder access routes, and provide specialist canopy and emergency-training for future shows.