A pilot killed in a light plane crash in Western Australia's south had taken methylamphetamine but it did not necessarily contribute to the accident, investigators have found.
Samuel Geoffrey Ferns, 40, crashed his Cessna 210B in October 2017 in Mount Lindsay National Park, about 40km northwest of Albany Airport, en route to Bunbury.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said about half an hour after take-off witnesses heard and saw the aircraft fly over, then shortly afterwards heard a loud crack.
One witness saw the plane plunge out of sight, the ATSB said in its final report released on Thursday.
Mr Ferns flew the plane abnormally, producing unusual aerodynamic loading on the right wing that exceeded its strength, and caused the aircraft to break-up, investigators concluded.
"The aircraft did not have a pre-existing structural deficiency or damage that would have contributed to the in-flight break-up and the local meteorological conditions were not conducive to inadvertent aircraft overstress," the ATSB said.
"The presence of methylamphetamine in the pilot's system increased the risk of operational misjudgements, aircraft mishandling and pilot incapacitation. This did not necessarily contribute to the accident."
Mr Ferns, who was a water bomber, had worked for organisations that had risk controls for problematic alcohol and other drug use.
The ATSB also said there was no indication of a systemic problem in Australian aviation.
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