Flying ace in fatal crash had no passenger licence | The Australian
Flying ace in fatal crash had no passenger licence
Michael McKenna |
September 04, 2008
ONE of Australia's flying legends, veteran aerobatic champion Barry Hempel, was not licensed to carry commercial passengers when his stunt plane plunged into the ocean off southeast Queensland on Sunday, killing him and a paying joyrider.
Police and safety officials are investigating the cause of the crash of the converted Russian Yak-52 stunt plane, and the operation of Hempels Aviation, a Brisbane-based charter business and flight school with a fleet of 25 aircraft that was headed by the 60-year-old flying ace.
Sources close to the investigation told The Australian yesterday Mr Hempel had only a private pilot's licence and was not certified to take paying passengers on flights.
The girlfriend of Mr Hempel's passenger, Ian Lovell, 35, bought a $492 aerobatic flight ticket for him as a gift.
Investigators have receipts and witnesses to the transaction ahead of the ill-fated flight, which took off from Archerfield Airport, on the western outskirts of Brisbane, and crashed into the sea off South Stradbroke Island about 12.30pm on Sunday.
"The thinking is this was not the first time Hempel took up paying customers either," a source said.
Witnesses reported seeing the red plane perform a series of dives and loops before going into a steep dive and then plummeting into the sea.
The bodies of the two men were retrieved on Tuesday after Queensland Police using sonar equipment found the downed aircraft in 20m of water. Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said last night, in response to questions about Mr Hempel's pilot's licence, that he could not comment on the investigation because of privacy laws.
Mr Gibson said CASA was inquiring into the operations of Hempels Aviation. "We are investigating because there may be issues which go to the ongoing safety of the company," he said.
"We are also assisting the coroner with the investigation."
Hempels Aviation chief pilot Michael Lawrence last night declined to answer questions about the status of Mr Hempel's licence or whether he was certified to take Mr Lovell on the flight.
"I cannot comment - speak to CASA," he said. Mr Lawrence said Mr Hempel had been instructing trainee pilots until some years ago.
It is understood Mr Hempel had a medical condition, and his licence had conditions attached.
The investigation into the crash will be handled by police and CASA and overseen by the coroner, with the initial report expected next week.
On his website, Mr Hempel boasts that he qualified at 23 for the highest licence rating, that of Airline Transport Pilot.
He won the Queensland and Australian Aerobatic Championships in the advanced category.
"I feel as though I have done just about as much as I can in other fields of aviation," he said on the Hempels Aviation website. "Aerobatics is the ultimate test for a pilot."
The website says of Mr Hempel: "After more than 28,000 hours of flying everything from Lear jets to airliners, Barry now runs his own flying school and charter operations ... and spends the majority of his time passing on his skills to others."
The Brisbane-based Mr Lovell emigrated to Australia in the past few years and became an Australian citizen this year.
He was a lead animator in a computer game company, and his family is planning memorial services in England and Australia.
A private funeral for Mr Hempel is expected to be held within the next few days, with a public memorial being organised for later this month.
