Student pilot walks from fiery Cessna crash at Adelaide’s Parafield.
A 21-year-old trainee on his third solo flight bounced a touch-and-go at Parafield Airport, stalled the left wing, and escaped uninjured seconds before the aircraft was destroyed by fire.
A 21-year-old student pilot walked away uninjured after his Cessna slammed into the runway and caught fire during circuit training at Parafield Airport in Adelaide's north on 5 January 2026.
The trainee, Youngin Kim, was conducting just his third solo flight — a touch-and-go — when the aircraft bounced heavily on touchdown around 12:30pm. In attempting to apply power and lift off again, the pilot lost airspeed, causing the left wing to stall and impact the runway.
The pilot extracted himself within 30 seconds. The aircraft then caught fire and was destroyed. No other aircraft were involved.
Investigation and context
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the pilot is "a very lucky young man" and noted the incident follows a pattern: around 20 accidents and incidents involving student pilots on solo flights occur in Australia each year.
The pilot, who had logged approximately 20 hours in the destroyed Cessna, told reporters he wants to continue training. "I just want to practice more and fly better and next time will be better," he said.