Those who have flown in the tropics building experience will all feel this in the pit of their stomach.
I can admit to scaring the ****e out of myself a few times, luckily got away with it. However I look back and I realise I really had no support with minimal hours. Thrown the keys to an aircraft and off you go. That was the 90s and I consider myself lucky.
You just have to look back to possibly one of the most famous single engine, no weather radar, 365 days a year paper run to see it does work. No I didn’t do it but had the utmost respect for those that did. I don’t recall any wings clapping, ok a few off piste no petrol landings… I don’t know but I’d imagine these guys had support and certainly some experience under their belt before heading off.
Gove to Katherine in a VFR 210 in the wet is always going to be a challenge, one would really want a bit of experience under the belt before tasks like this. Then of course the encouragement to just say no, not today. Yes easier said than done.
No I don’t know any facts however just a little speculation from these pages.
Why is the media so quiet? It was remote? Only one passenger? Seriously back in the day any NT incident got a good splashing in the press.
RIP young fella.