The Caribou was flown by a guy recently arrived in PNG (similar to civil pilots they were led gently into the various areas and of course the first was the milk run from Port Moresby to Lae to Wewak to Vanimo - come back the next day)
I was out of Port Moresby at first light that day and flew over the top of him around Bulolo. He asked about the weather and I told him it was bright blue sky all the way to Moresby on top. For some reason he chose to go under via the Kudgeru and got so far up the valley that his turning circle was greater than the valley width - result into the trees.
Three kids survived, 28 others, including the crew killed.
The long search had been called off when the aircraft could not be found but the 183 Squadron Army aircraft (2 Porters and 2 Bell 47 Sioux) were kept for another 2 days looking. We had the "assistance" of two RAAF Iroquois who arrived on site about 10.00 then left about 15.00 to stay in the air conditioned hotel in Lae. The rest of us including the civil pilots shared the floor of the rooms in the Wau hotel and flew from first to last light.
We were not happy about the coverage in the Kudgeru which everyone thought was the most likely spot so Terry Hayes took his Sioux out of his allotted area up the valley in a max effort hover down the creek line and saw a kid on the rocks waving.
He called me in the Porter and asked for the Iroquois which could hover at that altitude and had a winch cable. Unable to raise the RAAF I went to their area, found them both shut down in a village buying souvenirs! They eventually responded to my circling, went to the crash site and winched down rescuers. They brought the survivors back, one had died, loaded them in my Porter at Wau and I took them in the dark to the better hospital at Bulolo. Unfortunately another kid subsequently died.
The RAAF pilot got an AFC for doing what he did every day, lowering someone on a cable. Terry Hayes did not even get a mention in despatches.
Last edited by aaavn; 1st Jul 2012 at 00:18.