AAP


A commission of inquiry will begin on Monday into the shooting death of an Australian sailor aboard HMAS Toowoomba during a visit to India last year.


Ewan McDonald died while HMAS Toowoomba was conducting a port visit to Mumbai on October 23, 2011.


Peter Callaghan SC, a civilian with judicial experience, will preside over hearings at a Commission of Inquiry at Defence Plaza in Sydney on Monday.


Such inquiries look into the deaths of Australian Defence Force personnel that "appear to have arisen out of, or in the course of, their service", Defence said in a statement.


"Commissions of inquiry may also be appointed into any other matter concerning the Australian Defence Force," it said.


Able Seaman McDonald, who lived in Perth with his partner, had been with the Navy for eight years.


After his death, his family paid tribute to his selflessness and bravery.


"The navy definitely brought out the best in Ewan - he joined as a boy and left as a true gentleman," they said in a statement.


"He loved every minute of it."


The HMAS Toowoomba was on her way home from the Middle East when Able Seaman McDonald died in what Defence described as a "firearm-related" incident.


The frigate had been in Mumbai for five days as part of a regular program to build better links between Australian and Indian forces.


Able Seaman McDonald's death was the second aboard HMAS Toowoomba in 2011.


Sailor Steven Bebbington was found dead on the ship on April 21.