Post by swamprat on Feb 26, 2011 18:05:52 GMT -6
Cape York air crash mystery: 15 missing minutes
Gavin King & Laura Packham
Saturday, February 26, 2011
© The Cairns Post
THE pilot of a plane that vanished in Cape York gave the all clear to air traffic controllers 15 minutes before he was due to land, sparking fears he may have crashed into the sea while waiting for a storm to pass.
The experienced pilot was believed to have been flying on a regular "cray run" to pick up and deliver a cargo of fresh crayfish for export to Asia.
But authorities and friends are baffled by his disappearance, with no onboard distress beacon activated and no trace of his light plane found since his final radio call at 7.45am on Thursday.
Two air safety investigators from Brisbane are being sent to Cairns to examine the plane's disappearance, including a review of aircraft and maintenance records.
He was flying an Aero Commander twin-engine light plane registered to Flightech Pty Ltd, a Cairns company run by members of the Lippmann family who previously owned the now defunct Aero-Tropics Air Services, the company at the centre of the Lockhart River disaster that killed 15 in 2005.
Ric Lippmann, who is not a director of Flightech, has consistently defended Aero-Tropics against what he described as a vendetta waged by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which repeatedly grounded the airline for safety breaches before it went into liquidation in 2008.
The missing pilot's friend and former boss Sue Holland, who runs an aviation business on Horn Island, said the man had flown for many years in Cairns and Cape York airspace.
"Thursday was no different to any other wet season day and (he) is very experienced in this type of weather," she said.
"We're really devastated at the news and we want to let his family know that everyone's out searching for him.
"He's a real quiet achiever, a very, very good person who always had a smoke in one hand and a smile on his face.
"We're hoping for a miracle. We never say never until we know for sure."
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said there was no indication anything was wrong when the pilot suddenly lost contact with the airport tower 15 minutes before his scheduled landing time at Horn Island.
Conditions were not ideal but at least three other aircraft landed around the same time.
Ten rescue helicopters and eight fixed-wing aircraft scoured sites between Cape York and Moa Island from 5am yesterday, with particular focus around the Horn Island area.
Extra teams of emergency service volunteers and police boats also joined the search by combing through thick rainforest and mangroves.
No trace was found by the time the search was called off last night. A decision will be made today whether to continue.
"There have been little bits and pieces sighted from the search aircraft but there are often things seen in any search and we don’t believe they belong to this particular aircraft," the AMSA spokesperson said.
"Obviously, the more time that goes by, the more concern that we have that he will be located safe and well.
"Unfortunately, visibility is low but we’re fortunate that it’s not bad enough to suspend aircraft from taking off and continuing the search."
www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/02/26/151571_local-news.html
Gavin King & Laura Packham
Saturday, February 26, 2011
© The Cairns Post
THE pilot of a plane that vanished in Cape York gave the all clear to air traffic controllers 15 minutes before he was due to land, sparking fears he may have crashed into the sea while waiting for a storm to pass.
The experienced pilot was believed to have been flying on a regular "cray run" to pick up and deliver a cargo of fresh crayfish for export to Asia.
But authorities and friends are baffled by his disappearance, with no onboard distress beacon activated and no trace of his light plane found since his final radio call at 7.45am on Thursday.
Two air safety investigators from Brisbane are being sent to Cairns to examine the plane's disappearance, including a review of aircraft and maintenance records.
He was flying an Aero Commander twin-engine light plane registered to Flightech Pty Ltd, a Cairns company run by members of the Lippmann family who previously owned the now defunct Aero-Tropics Air Services, the company at the centre of the Lockhart River disaster that killed 15 in 2005.
Ric Lippmann, who is not a director of Flightech, has consistently defended Aero-Tropics against what he described as a vendetta waged by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which repeatedly grounded the airline for safety breaches before it went into liquidation in 2008.
The missing pilot's friend and former boss Sue Holland, who runs an aviation business on Horn Island, said the man had flown for many years in Cairns and Cape York airspace.
"Thursday was no different to any other wet season day and (he) is very experienced in this type of weather," she said.
"We're really devastated at the news and we want to let his family know that everyone's out searching for him.
"He's a real quiet achiever, a very, very good person who always had a smoke in one hand and a smile on his face.
"We're hoping for a miracle. We never say never until we know for sure."
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said there was no indication anything was wrong when the pilot suddenly lost contact with the airport tower 15 minutes before his scheduled landing time at Horn Island.
Conditions were not ideal but at least three other aircraft landed around the same time.
Ten rescue helicopters and eight fixed-wing aircraft scoured sites between Cape York and Moa Island from 5am yesterday, with particular focus around the Horn Island area.
Extra teams of emergency service volunteers and police boats also joined the search by combing through thick rainforest and mangroves.
No trace was found by the time the search was called off last night. A decision will be made today whether to continue.
"There have been little bits and pieces sighted from the search aircraft but there are often things seen in any search and we don’t believe they belong to this particular aircraft," the AMSA spokesperson said.
"Obviously, the more time that goes by, the more concern that we have that he will be located safe and well.
"Unfortunately, visibility is low but we’re fortunate that it’s not bad enough to suspend aircraft from taking off and continuing the search."
www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/02/26/151571_local-news.html