Hi tinpis,
The Trilander was VH-BSG and it was about to take up a P2 registration. There were 19 POB plus the pilot, nothing wrong with the engines either, just bogged down. "Thrust normal - Acceleration assumed" I remember arriving there shortly after the event, and the aircraft was on the move. From memory it shifted a fair bit during the first night, the river had a fair amount flowing at the time.
Now that you mention it I think the rescue diver was a Kiwi, I do remember that the Van 5 DME was recovered from the wreckage dried out and sprayed and worked Ok!
I have revisted page 175 of Balus III to jog my memory, but doing so it reminds me of just how inaccurate the information about Provincial Air Services has been recorded as well as mentioning names of people that never joined the company as well as some of the some of the claims made by people with regards to their times on types etc.
The then manager was a complete spiv, (Bill Cragg - aircraft salesman from Schutts at Moorabbin Airport - Bill was going to introduce the CASA 212's to PNG. - Bill later died in Africa flying a C337, took a SAM-7 up the clacker) who raped the company by pocketing all the 'cash fares' and encouraged others to do so as well. I could go on for ages, I wrote a detailed report at the time for John Paine, I wish I knew where he was today, as well as Peter Howard who was a director in the early days.
I loved every minute at PAS, I was fortunate enought to be checked out on the Nomad and 'route/strip' trained by the late Alan Mourilyan. My only regret is that there is no way I can corrct the vast number of errors in the all together too brief history of Provincial Air.
Last edited by Cplane; 6th Oct 2005 at 03:07.