Struggling with a broken marriage, Paul Whyte rented a plane from a Lismore flying club, made a final phone call to his daughters and disappeared into the ocean six nautical miles off Byron Bay.
Authorities refused to provide details of the tragedy, *infuriating Northern Rivers Aero Club president Bill Kiernan, the man who leased the aircraft to Mr Whyte.
Mr Kiernan said the Australian and International Pilots Association had tried to silence him, warning him not to tell anyone Mr Whyte was a Qantas pilot.
“I told them I’ll say whatever I want, because it was the truth,” he said.
Qantas initially refused to confirm Mr Whyte worked for them but yesterday conceded he was an employee.
NSW police believe the plane hit the ocean at “high speed”. A report is being prepared for the coroner.