Everybody concened.
it has come to my attention that Daniel Gilbert the pilot of the r22 that crash landed in the Pilbera region either at 2300 hours on the 25th of june or at 0900 on the 26th of june. it doesn't matter, but i myself is a mustering pilot in the pilbera and i was waiting for him to turn up at Uaroo Station some time throug the week. I had be in contact wit him numerous times through his travels. He was not engaged in mustering operation but bringing his machine that he owned for a job at the station, he was a muster rated pilot but wasnot going to do the job. He had Left Marrba Nth Queenslnd with little prep, ie. no maps, ersa, or a route to go by.
We had been in contact with him on thurdays and found out that he had left Alice Springs at 5am central time and was at Carnegie at 1630. We had the had a message that we could not understand, We had estimated that he would be at Newman at approx. 2030 thursday night, he did have three jerry can of fuel on board with him. He did not communicate with us when he had got to Newman, We did not find out that he was at Newman until we got the card reading tally from the fuel pump. No one had seem him at Newman at anytime. If he had communicated with us on that night he would have had a place to stay for the night, it has also came to my attention that Daniel may have camped the night at Neman and left early in the morning.
I was on the search from Uaroo to Newman and the crash site was just south of track 65 miles from Parraburdo.
Daniel was a low houred pilot with about 400 hours, with endorsements such as R22, R44, B47, B206, AS350, sling load, night vfr, and mustering, but to date has not done any mustering nor was he.
i just wish that people would put a little more time into finding out about the person and what they were doing before they start to slag off the mustering industry..