Missing NSW plane found crashed in forest west of Coffs Harbour

[farri]

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/missing-nsw-plane-found-crashed-in-forest-west-of-coffs-harbour/news-story/26b1065ad59955b164023a27f9cb2a99

 

Franco.

 

 

[onetrack]

I didn't even know there was an aircraft missing. Doesn't look too promising for the people on board, with that rugged terrain and no communication since 07:30HRS yesterday.

 

 

[farri]

I didn't even know there was an aircraft missing. Doesn't look too promising for the people on board, with that rugged terrain and no communication since 07:30HRS yesterday.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-20/small-plane-missing-northern-nsw-foster-murwullimbah/11534154

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Now confirmed a double fatality.

 

 

[spacesailor]

Hoping not one of our's, on route to Parks.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Guest deanfi]

Media is reporting it as VH-DJU

 

 

[Chasnee]

It was DJU.

Flightradar24 tracked it from Murwillumbah till it disappeared near Never Never, west of Coffs Harbour.

 

 

[red750]

Mooney M20J. Address on register is in WA.

 

 

[onetrack]

News media are saying the W.A. owner sold VH-DJU to a Gold Coast buyer, very recently. Ownership doesn't appear to have been updated in any online records, but that doesn't mean much.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-21/plane-crash-northern-nsw-coffs-harbour-two-dead-police/11535440

 

 

[ClintonB]

Very sad outcome. Friday morning weather was bad enough at Armidale, approx 500 feet cloud/fog at 0830. I headed west to go home to Tamworth and found clear sky 5 miles out, looking behind it was solid. Straight line track would have been over high unfriendly ground in poor conditions.

 

 

[old man emu]

Those Mooneys are slippery little suckers. If it was a recent purchase, then lack of type experience may have been a factor. However, the first theory would be flight into IMC.

 

 

[alf jessup]

Very sad outcome. Friday morning weather was bad enough at Armidale, approx 500 feet cloud/fog at 0830. I headed west to go home to Tamworth and found clear sky 5 miles out, looking behind it was solid. Straight line track would have been over high unfriendly ground in poor conditions.

 

Looking at the track from point of departure to Taree, looks like he was straight lining it, very sad day for the relatives of the father & son lost in this accident.

 

Condolences to all that knew them.

 

 

[Geoff_H]

Having owned a Mooney M20J for many years I can only say that he must have gone into the side of a mountain of something head on.  Mooney's are surprisingly survivable.  They have a steel space frame  cabin, single piece wing spar that attaches under the rear seat and a monocoque tail that moves up any down pivoting about a "hinge" at the rear of the space frame.  The Mooney web sites over the years have shown Mooney crashes that were not fatal. 

 

I have transited Coffs Harbour many times.  I always took the sea path in the control zone.  The inland is just too dangerous in IMC.  

 

Such a tragedy,.

 

 

[440032]

Confirmed that CASA Aircraft Register is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy behind in updating their VH register records shown online. I know of a transfer that took place months ago that has not shown up yet. Yes, they confirmed it was received, so nothing they can do about it.

 

 

[snarf007]

These kind of accidents makes me angry.  Marginal VFR and high terrain....

 

ADSB track disappears 1nm west of Mount Moombil

 

 

[Guest deanfi]

Very sad to see the loss of life With the Huey crash and now this Mooney , both in the Coffs area and both in poor weather  ?

 

[jackc]

Having owned a Mooney M20J for many years I can only say that he must have gone into the side of a mountain of something head on.  Mooney's are surprisingly survivable.  They have a steel space frame  cabin, single piece wing spar that attaches under the rear seat and a monocoque tail that moves up any down pivoting about a "hinge" at the rear of the space frame.  The Mooney web sites over the years have shown Mooney crashes that were not fatal. 

 

I have transited Coffs Harbour many times.  I always took the sea path in the control zone.  The inland is just too dangerous in IMC.  

 

Such a tragedy,.

 

The crash site is on the Western boundary of the  Bellingen High? training area that I fly in out of Coffs Harbour for my training, very mountainous ground to come down in:-( May those on board R.I.P

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

 

 

[Downunder]

Confirmed that CASA Aircraft Register is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy behind in updating their VH register records shown online. I know of a transfer that took place months ago that has not shown up yet. Yes, they confirmed it was received, so nothing they can do about it.

 

It will need to sit in the casa employees inbox (paper or electronic) for a while to prove they are busy, even if they could do it immediately. 

 

It's important to "go with the flow" and not "rock the boat" in these monopolistic empires lest you become an outcast.

 

It will also show future applicants that this is the normal time it takes.

 

This is how it works in bureaucratic business.....

 

 

[alf jessup]

These kind of accidents makes me angry.  Marginal VFR and high terrain....

 

ADSB track disappears 1nm west of Mount Moombil

 

[ATTACH]41343[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]41344[/ATTACH]

 

Yes looking at the last radar track on it, it was doing 165kts at 3200 ft, pretty sad when some of the terrain is 4,000 ft.

 

You would at least think to slow down a little if you were starting to get boxed in.

 

 

[Student Pilot]

It will need to sit in the casa employees inbox (paper or electronic) for a while to prove they are busy, even if they could do it immediately. 

 

It's important to "go with the flow" and not "rock the boat" in these monopolistic empires lest you become an outcast.

 

It will also show future applicants that this is the normal time it takes.

 

This is how it works in bureaucratic business.....

 

Seems common practice with CASA, try getting a medical processed

 

 

[kaz3g]

Yes looking at the last radar track on it, it was doing 165kts at 3200 ft, pretty sad when some of the terrain is 4,000 ft.

 

You would at least think to slow down a little if you were starting to get boxed in.

 

Nasty piece of country with some very nasty weather possibilities there to even contemplate a direct route. Coffs has weather on radar and can give an advisory for transiting Aircraft.

 

Lots of conjecture but ultimately down to the PIC.

 

 

[poteroo]

Yes looking at the last radar track on it, it was doing 165kts at 3200 ft, pretty sad when some of the terrain is 4,000 ft.

 

You would at least think to slow down a little if you were starting to get boxed in

 

 

 

Yes, much too fast to respond to terrain ahead of you, especially if it is just visible through cloud & or drizzle.  Why?  -  because the refraction of light by the water droplets creates an illusion that the terrain is further away than it really is.  So, a combination of higher than safe speed, plus the illusion, can mean any last second turn may still be too late.

 

What I've seen in almost every case where a pilot tucks in too close under a cloud base, particularly if it is also drizzling, they will fly into a lower patch of cloud. The usual reaction is to push the nose down, rather than decrease power and lose height over a shorter distance - all of which just increases the speed, and decreases the margin should you need to turn away from terrain. It creates a scary feeling and certainly spooks most pilots.

 

 One of the very 1st things that I teach pilots on a low level training course is, (before going <500ft agl), to slow down via power reduction, get some flap extended perhaps, trim the aircraft to a safe manoeuvring speed - and then use power only for descent/climb from there. All lower level, limited visibility manoeuvring should be via power only.  Everything will need a power change - climb/descent/turns. 

 

I hope that we see something positive result from this tragedy. ATC needs a friendlier face and GA traffic should be encouraged to transit Coffs rather than take risks dodging wx in the hills.

 

 

[facthunter]

 It used to be called "scud running"  (under low cloud and peering through mist at low speeds) Don't go there.

 

        When you are fully VFR the LSALT (lowest SAFE  altitude for that area, sector, track and distance) has little meaning (or you'd never land VFR at Cairns. Whenever you're IMC the LSALT and a corresponding accurate knowledge of where you are is the main thing you use to ensure you don't hit rocks in the sky. Nev

 

 

[David Isaac]

This is a terrible loss, especially as a father and son.  I think of myself and my boys and how this could have happened to me all those years ago in my VFR flight into IMC incident ... I was very fortunate that day.

 

From all reports these were really decent people; but these kinds of accidents have no respect for persons and terribly unforgiving of errors of judgement.

 

From all accounts on the news from friends who were interviewed, these were a really good family who gave a tremendous amount to the community.

 

My heart goes out to the family.

 

 

[kgwilson]

I left South Grafton for Parkes via Quirindi where I knew it was a cloudless morning at around 8am on Friday 20th. I climbed to cruise altitude of 8500 passing over the Dorrigo Plateau & SE of Armidale before dropping to 6500 under the second step south of Tamworth It was 8/8 cloud cover at 8:30am to the east (west of Coffs) and past Armidale as well. It was clear not far SW of Armidale. Tops at that time of the day were 6-7000. It was forecast to worsen during the day.