Bass Strait plane missing 02/08/25

[BurnieM]

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/urgent-search-launched-after-two-tasmanians-disappear-in-plane-crossing-bass-strait/news-story/c2f4bd2991a7f17503138d45d4be05e4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BurnieM]

Departed George Town, Tasmania at approx 1245 Saturday 2 August 2025.

Heading for regional Victoria.

2 POB.

 

Edited yesterday at 12:48 AM by BurnieM

[onetrack]

Aircraft was actually heading to Hillston airport, approximately 180km WSW of Condobolin, NSW. Hillston airport is the home of Kidman Aviation. Family members of the travellers raised the alarm around 5:00PM when they found the aircraft hadn't arrived.

 

The AMSA Challenger is searching Bass Strait, in the area where the aircrafts LKP was recorded. The Spirit of Tasmania was diverted to assist in searching the primary search area, but they found nothing, and the SoT resumed its journey after the diversion.

 

Bass Strait search underway for missing aircraft flying from Tasmania to New South Wales - ABC News

WWW.ABC.NET.AU

---

A search is underway for a light aircraft missing over Bass Strait since Saturday, bound for Central Western New South Wales, with the Spirit of Tasmania joining the search effort.

 

Edited yesterday at 02:03 AM by onetrack

[onetrack]

Updated information says the aircraft is a 28-registered ultralight, no ADS-B fitted, reported as being fitted with lifejackets, and the pilot is a male in his early 70's, and his passenger is his wife, in her 60's.

Police say the aircraft is bright green (an unusual colour), and it was purchased only 3-4 mths ago by the pilot, who is reported as being an experienced aviator.

 

Latest search area appears to be concentrated between Leongatha and Cape Liptrap. Unverified reports state that a fuel or comfort stop was planned for Leongatha, but the aircraft didn't even make Leongatha.

 

The area between Leongatha and CL appears to be mostly farmland with a few modest-size areas of native vegetation. Surely, if they went down in that region, Saturday afternoon, someone would've seen something?

 

Edited yesterday at 08:21 AM by onetrack

[turboplanner]

46 minutes ago, onetrack said:

Updated information says the aircraft is a 28-registered ultralight, no ADS-B fitted, reported as being fitted with lifejackets, and the pilot is a male in his early 70's, and his passenger is his wife, in her 60's.

Police say the aircraft is bright green (an unusual colour), and it was purchased only 3-4 mths ago by the pilot, who is reported as being an experienced aviator.

 

Latest search area appears to be concentrated between Leongatha and Cape Liptrap. Unverified reports state that a fuel or comfort stop was planned for Leongatha, but the aircraft didn't even make Leongatha.

 

The area between Leongatha and CL appears to be mostly farmland with a few modest-size areas of native vegetation. Surely, if they went down in that region, Saturday afternoon, someone would've seen something?

 

It's in the Strezeleki Ranges; lots of steep hills, some landing spots.

[Thruster88]

Aircraft is said to be a green Bristell.

[onetrack]

An unverified report says the aircraft is a Bristell, fitted with the latest avionics, and reportedly has a transponder. One would think if the transponder was operational, the aircraft or some wreckage would've been found by now.

 

Of course, a transponder isn't much use if it's 50M under water.

 

[SGM]

A 28-registered Bristell?  Maybe they meant 23 or 24 registered?
 

Interesting it’s not on the approved Bass Straight crossing routes ie via Flinders or King Islands… and presumably no Scheds?

[Jabiru7252]

Beacon? - isn't that mandatory? And over-water reporting procedures? An 'experienced' pilot with perhaps a 'laissez-faire' attitude?

Edited yesterday at 01:42 PM by Jabiru7252

[pmccarthy]

There is an all green Bristell 23 reg which fits the pilot age and location.

[Love to fly]

8 hours ago, Jabiru7252 said:

Beacon? - isn't that mandatory? And over-water reporting procedures? An 'experienced' pilot with perhaps a 'laissez-faire' attitude?

Beacon, sure. You still need to be able to turn it on in time. Skeds are recommended not mandatory.

[Blueadventures]

12 hours ago, pmccarthy said:

There is an all green Bristell 23 reg which fits the pilot age and location.

Mentioned above 28 so would be a swapped over from VH owner built like 19's are.

[Jabiru7252]

4 hours ago, Love to fly said:

Beacon, sure. You still need to be able to turn it on in time. Skeds are recommended not mandatory.

When I was flying I ALWAYS had the beacon where it could be grabbed quickly and I briefed my passenger on how to use it. I ALWAYS flew as high as possible over water (usually between Wallaroo and Cowell in South Australia) and always let ATC know my intentions. But that's just me, I know of pilots who fly above 100% cloud cover and navigate by GPS alone. I know pilots who fly over water at low altitudes (due cloud) and have bugger all time to get out a mayday, trigger the beacon, brief passengers when the engine stops. They are out there with their 'she'll be right attitudes' and when they come to grief, too many take some poor soul with them. Alas, as I got older I got stupider (is that a word?) so I no longer fly.

[facthunter]

Above 8/8ths Cloud  is not VFR compliant . With single engined ops over water it's nice to have max glide available and Island hop. Over steep sloped heavily timbered country it could take ages to even find  what's left of you.  In Desert in summer without water you won't last one day. Nev

[Love to fly]

2 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Above 8/8ths Cloud  is not VFR compliant .

Isn't there something about GNSS certified and visual fix every 2 hours?  Been awhile since I've looked so may be wrong. 

[pmccarthy]

Bass Strait skeds is an ops normal call every 30 minutes.

[Love to fly]

2 minutes ago, pmccarthy said:

Bass Strait skeds is an ops normal call every 30 minutes.

Actually no.. You set the schedule. Generally more regularly than that methinks.,certainly when I've done them, heard others etc. 

[facthunter]

ltf I think you'd have to have  a current PIFR and certified GNSS.  Nev

[Love to fly]

7 minutes ago, facthunter said:

ltf I think you'd have to have  a current PIFR and certified GNSS.  Nev

Just checked.  VFR not PIFR or IFR. Do need TSO’d GNSS and need to be certified competent to use it.

[onetrack]

Not a single person has come forward to say they saw anything. A bloke on the rumours forum says he was working on the coast of the mainland near Cape Liptrap, all afternoon, right under the Bristells supposed flightpath, and he neither sighted nor heard anything, and he's an aviation buff. AMSA's start point was the LKP of the aircraft, so it was being tracked in some form.

 

This can only lead to one conclusion, the pilot either had a medical event, or a major structural failure occurred, and the aircraft went straight down into Bass Strait.

The simple fact that no communication or Mayday was issued from the aircraft is pretty ominous, the pilot was experienced, and reported to be a regularly active member of the local Aero Club.

[BurnieM]

In marine rescue we used to say if it is not on your person then it is gone.

 

Maybe over water it would be a good idea, as well as wearing an inflatable life vest, to also have a vest with pockets and carry a PLB, whistle, mirror and small bottle of water.

 

[fallowdeer]

2 hours ago, facthunter said:

Above 8/8ths Cloud  is not VFR compliant . With single engined ops over water it's nice to have max glide available and Island hop. Over steep sloped heavily timbered country it could take ages to even find  what's left of you.  In Desert in summer without water you won't last one day. Nev

Wrong sorry.
 

 Only need to be within sight of the ground/water if less than 3000ft AMSL or 1000agl.  Goes for all classes airspace as long as appropriate visibility and cloud clearances maintained.  
 

The wisdom of doing so is a separate matter. 

[onetrack]

Media are now reporting that the couple were carrying a pet dog on board as well. Sounds to me like a recipe for problems in a cramped cockpit. One would presume the dog was being carried in the passengers lap.

The Bristell has 3 luggage compartments, two that can hold 20kg each, in the wing roots, and a rear area behind the seats that can hold 15kg.

 

Unless they carried a pet cage and installed it behind the seats (seems like that would be difficult to do, unless it was a Chihuahua), then the only other option is carrying it on the passengers lap, which I would think, is pretty risky, as regards the dog accidentally coming into contact with switches and controls. 

 

Then there's the fact that the Bristell has some serious handling issues, and the owner has only owned it a short time, and perhaps may have not been fully conversant with the Bristells "issues".

And finally, the Bristell is available with a BRS, but it seems this aircraft wasn't fitted with one.

 

Edited 7 hours ago by onetrack

[onetrack]

Another interesting point, is the payload capacity of the Bristell. In the POH, it states clearly in red lettering that the MTOW of 600kgs must never be exceeded. However, the aircraft weighs 356kgs empty.

 

When one looks at the "payload range" (Page 77) in the POH, the payload capacity is pretty lean, when you consider that the average older adult would most certainly be at least 75kg.

 

Add in the dog, full or near-full fuel, some hand luggage (they did plan to visit friends in NSW, and that means SOME modest level of luggage, even if they did only take the bare minimum), then it appears to me, they could easily have been overweight on takeoff. The CoG appears to need close attention on this machine as well, so they would've needed to be on top of all this, to ensure full compliance with the POH.

 

https://www.advancedaviation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Bristell-YVP-POH-.pdf

[BurnieM]

I do not see the dog as a major problem depending on the size/weight.

We do not know how much fuel he was carrying or how much luggage.

The pilot had a level of experience so would expect him to work out the w&b certainly for the first few months of ownership.

Yes he could have got it wrong but way too many other things that we are not aware of.