Three killed as rookie pilot flies into bad weather

Article from the Herald newspaper 15/09/08

A pilot had taken off from Scone with his newly bought plane and into atrocious conditions in a bold bid to get home to Queensland. The plane a single engine Cessna 206 was discovered atop a ridge near Hanging Rock 55 kilometres North East of Scone.


NRMA Careflight spokesman Ian Badham said the plane had come down through the trees. The planes wings had been torn off on impact he said.

The plane before the crash.

Wreckage photo taken by Careflight helicopter.

Another tragic plane crash near the Barrington Tops. The reason I've posted these Before and after photos of the crash is to give searchers an idea of what condition MDX might be found in. Would it be intact or like the photo demonstrates, would it be scattered over an area with the wings torn off. With years of exposure to the elements and foliage making it impossible to distinguish from it's surroundings

I'm not the only one

When writing this blog i received emails from various people who in one way or another were involved with the search for MDX. In this post i thought i would share with everyone some of the emails from other searchers including their search areas, ideas and thoughts on the subject of where MDX could have crashed. After reading these notes it can only open up more discussion and maybe add another piece to the jigsaw.



The adventure continues...Nev




email from: Dave Whiteman
subject: MDX

Neville,

In August 1981 I was a police officer attached to the Communications Section of the NSW Police Force in Sydney. I was also a licensed pilot at the time and was an Officer in the RAAF Reserves at RAAF Richmond. I was also in the Hunter Valley on the day VH-MDX went missing. I heard about it on the car radio as i returned to Sydney and the next day i was directed by Superintendant Aldred, The OIC of the Disaster and Rescue branch to provide aviation background to him and his team who were by then involved in the search. I also knew Ken Price who was onboard MDX. I was given a tape of the radio conversation between ATC and MDX to study and i was asked to plot the track from information on the tape. I still have a copy of the tape. The disaster and rescue branch set up an OP's room where the search was co-ordinated from. I plotted the probable track of the aircraft from the radio conversation and as a pilot and RAAF operations officer with extensive navigation and flight planning skills, I was in a good position to provide an accurate plot of the aircrafts track.

I was able to estimate the possible location where the aircraft crashed and this information was conveyed to the Police Air Wing who sent an officer to see what my assessment was. He all but dismissed my assessment of where the aircraft was and i could see that the Air Wing and other rescue personnel had convinced themselves that the aircraft was in a totally different area. They had based this information on an eyewitness report, I think this was the one you have, by Mrs Dell O'hare. Contrary to the police not investigating this report, this is what they based their search upon. I submitted that at the time she claimed she saw the aircraft it was in fact at 9,000 feet in heavy cloud and she could not have possibly seen it by looking out her window.

Anyway, to cut a long story short. They never looked in the area i reckoned was the probable crash site and i even spoke to Peter Anforth a couple of years before he died and he dismissed my assessment saying the aircraft was in Chichester Dam.

I still have an interest in MDX, as does my son who is also a pilot, and indeed there is a police officer stationed at Bulahdelah who has been searching for it for years. I hope one day they find it and clear up the mystery.

Cheers

Dave Whiteman

P.S. I also worked at Manly Police Station in the 1970's and often patrolled down at the wharf. I fondly remember the old South Steyne.

Interview with John Tonitto of BWRS

• For those of you who don't know him, John is one of the original searchers for MDX and was my first point of contact when i first began researching this mystery. John kindly accepted my invitation for a short interview by email.
  
  


• John, can you tell us a little about yourself.
  
  
  I am the secretary of the BWRS and have been a member since 1982. Our group has been involved in the search for MDX since its disappearance in 1981 and was first involved in the original Operation Barrington Tops. I have been fascinated with this mystery since i completed my first search for it in 1982 and have been involved ever since.
  
  


• What is the BWRS and what is it's role.
  
  BWRS is Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad formerly known as Bushwalkers Search and Rescue. We are a specialist remote area search group of the VRA ( Volunteer Rescue Association) and accredited by the state rescue board of NSW. BWRS was formed in 1936 and is one of the oldest land search groups involved in searching for and rescuing, if necessary, members of the public as directed by the NSW Police.
  
  


• How many people are in the organisation.
  
  We currently have 55 members.
  
  


• How long have you been involved in the search for MDX.
  
  As ground crew since 1982 and moved slowly into the role of organising searches with other agencies based on input from experts in interpreting the final transcripts of MDX.
  
  


• What areas are you conducting your search in and why.
  
  As you may be aware, there is very little information to go on based on radar fixes and the unknown time period or direction after those fixes. Best guesses are used and with navigation software search areas are established. Currently we are looking in the Allyn and Paterson river systems.
  
  


• Can you tell us how you conduct your search.
  
  A search area is divided into what we believe are manageable areas for a weekend team. Given the steepness of the terrain and thickness of vegetation at times, a team can search approx 500 square metres over a weekend.
  
  


• Can anyone join the BWR and help search for the plane.
  
  BWRS accepts anyone that has bush skills and can remain self contained in the field for 72 hours.
  
  


• What do the need to do.
  
  They can contact me on secretary@bwrs.org.au
  
  


• What do you think happened to MDX.
  
  I believe given the conditions and the audio tape that it crashed under very difficult conditions. The problem for a search party is that had it crashed headlong into ground that the resultant debris would be about 1 metre to 1.5 metre diameter hole. If it paralleled the ground before impact then more debris ( wings etc) will be found.
  
  


• Why do you think there is so much interest in the plane after all these years.
  
  I am not sure what might drive others, but to find the oldest domestic aviation accident in Australia and solve the cause of it would be of major interest.
  
  


• What keeps you coming back year after year.
  
  I like to believe that all incidents in the bush are resolved. So i would love to solve the mystery and bring closure for the families.