A national safety investigator's report about what led to a young pilot's death in Tasmania was "worthless" to a coroner, shedding no light on what caused her death.
Nikita Walker, an experienced pilot, was flying from Hobart to Bathurst Harbour in the state's southwest in December 2018 when she ploughed into a mountain ridge in the Western Arthur Range.
She was on her way to pick up passengers and her flight data suggested she was in control of the aircraft right up until the collision, when she would have died instantly, coroner Simon Cooper said in findings released on Thursday.
In assessing the 30-year-old's cause of death, Mr Cooper considered a report by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau.
The national investigator last year concluded that several factors increased Ms Walker's risk.
Namely, it found: "Airlines of Tasmania did not provide any documented guidance for the southwest operations, despite encouraging pilots to commence the flight, even when forecasts indicated they may be likely to encounter adverse weather en route."
This, the investigator said, increased the risk that some pilots continued into an area of high terrain and marginal conditions, where escape options were limited.
The charter airline took major issue with the findings, contending that any lack of documentation in no way caused Ms Walker's death, and there was no such "encouragement" for pilots to fly.
There was also no evidence of pilots flying into areas with limited escape options and marginal conditions, it said.
Much of the airline's criticism was justified, the coroner said.
There was no evidence a lack of documentary guidance contributed to Ms Walker's death, or of Airlines of Tasmania encouraging pilots.
"And perhaps most surprisingly, despite the fact that it was in fact investigating an aircraft crash, the (transport safety investigator's) report does not appear to attempt to establish, at all, the reason for the crash," Mr Cooper said.
"In short, the (investigator's) report was of so little use as to be, from my perspective, in the performance of my obligations ... worthless."
The evidence didn't point to any particular factor as causing or contributing to Ms Walker's fatal crash, the coroner said.
The aircraft was serviceable, she was sufficiently experienced and qualified, well-rested, and unaffected by drugs and alcohol.
Before setting out, she accessed appropriate weather information - although more was available to her - and she chose a flying route that didn't appear to be inappropriate, the coroner said.
Ms Walker's death was an accident - she had plans to go to a party later that day, and potentially return to Queensland in the long-term.
She was trying to avoid crashing by attempting to find a break in the weather, although there was no evidence it was inadvisable for her to go out.
"What happened in the immediate moments before colliding with the Western Portal can only be speculation," Mr Cooper said.
Ms Walker's death did not reveal any systemic issue, or prompt the coroner to make any recommendations to prevent further tragedies.
