The Australian confirms what CoodaShooda and belly tank reported above. Great news indeed.
December 30, 2003
TWO men missing in a small helicopter since yesterday in a remote area of the Northern Territory have been found safe and well.
The 22-year-old pilot and his 26-year-old companion took off from Katherine, 300km south of Darwin, at 1pm (AEDT) yesterday.
They had been due to land at the Mirrangadga Aboriginal settlement, around 300km north-east of Katherine, at 4.30pm, but never arrived.
Australian Search and Rescue spokesman David Gray said the pair were found safe around this morning - about 46km from their intended destination.
It was unclear why the pair had decided to land the helicopter, he said.
A police plane combed the assumed path of the helicopter overnight, on the lookout for any distress signals or lights, but found no trace of the missing pair.
The chopper was spotted after four fixed wing aircraft and two helicopters resumed the search at first light this morning.
The men, one of which was a mechanic, had been flying to the Mirrangadga settlement to repair a grounded helicopter.
They have been flown to Mirrangadga for a medical check-up.