Civil aviation authorities in Australia, New Zealand, and China have grounded their countries' respective GA8 fleets following the crash of GA8-TC320 SE-MES (msn 178) in Umeå, Sweden on July 14.
The aircraft was operated by Skydive Umeå and had just taken off for a parachuting run when it entered into a steep nose-down dive at around 12,000 feet (3658m) above ground level before impacting the ground. All 9 passengers and crew on board were killed. Initial reports have suggested that one of the aircraft's wings had partially separated prior to the crash.
In a statement issued on Saturday, July 20, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), as the regulator charged with overseeing the GA8's manufacturer, GippsAero, said it had ordered the suspension as a precautionary step pending the outcome of further investigations by Swedish and European authorities into the crash of SE-MES.
"The temporary suspension will be for up to 15 days from midnight July 20, to midnight August 3, 2019 and affects all GA8 aircraft operating in Australia and all Australian registered GA8 aircraft operating overseas," it said. "CASA has also written to all national aviation authorities who have GA8 aircraft operating in their jurisdiction advising them that CASA has imposed a 15-day temporary operating suspension on these aircraft."
Thus far, the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAANZ) has complied with CASA's directive as has the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive to all European GA8 aircraft owners and operators to not operate the aeroplane except for ferry flights.
There are 228 GA8 turboprops in service around the world of which 63 are registered in Australia.
Though based in Australia, GippsAero is majority-owned by Mahindra Aerospace (Traralgon), the aerospace subsidiary of Indian multinational conglomerate, Mahindra Group.
