Company and director fined $250,000 over fatal skydiving incident
20 Apr 2026•BlueSafe Team•Source: SafeWork NSW
Goulburn Flight Training Centre Pty Ltd and its sole director have been convicted and fined a combined $250,000 following a SafeWork NSW prosecution over a skydiving incident that killed two people.
The District Court of NSW fined the company $100,000 and director Attilio Giovanni (John) Ferrara $150,000. The prosecution followed the deaths of two people in a skydiving incident on 27 June 2021.
The company pleaded not guilty to two offences under section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The charges concerned failures to meet its duties to workers and other persons under section 19 of the Act.
Mr Ferrara also pleaded not guilty to two section 32 offences concerning his duty as an officer of the business under section 27 of the Act. Following a defended hearing, the court found both defendants guilty of all charges.
The company and Mr Ferrara can appeal their convictions and sentences. The full judgment is available on the NSW Caselaw website.
SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer said: “This tragic incident is a reminder of the importance of thoroughly completing all safety checks when conducting high-risk activities, such as skydiving.” She added: “I extend my condolences to the family of the two people who died.”
Workers can raise workplace health and safety concerns anonymously with SafeWork NSW by calling 13 10 50 or using the Speak Up Save Lives website.
How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your approach to workplace health and safety duties, including officer due diligence, and identify areas for closer attention. Take the free WHS self-check