Mandurah Aircraft Vandalised

[gileraguy]

POLICE are searching for the people responsible who broke into an aircraft in Mandurah and crashed it into a hangar.

It’s understood a group of people forced their way into the Murrayfield Airfield on Lakes Road sometime early yesterday morning.

They broke into several aeroplanes and managed to start one of them – a single engine Eagle 150.

Police spokesman Gerry Cassidy said the offenders crashed the plane while it was still on the ground into a nearby hangar.

The plane, valued at $40,000, is now considered a write-off.


I suppose it could move at idle with a throttle lock and if there was no wheel lock it could roll into something at idle power.

[Jabawocky]

And why do you need a throttle lock when it is inside your locked hangar? :ooh:

[frigatebird]

You mean you don't..? :(
The smartar$e ultralight owner in the hanger alongside mine who thinks that all Cessnas are anachronisms leaves his hangar door open when he goes flying, and an 'enterprising' vandal could just squeeze into mine if he was slim. So the throttle is locked, the cabin and baggage doors are locked, along with my own hangar door being kept locked other than when actually taking the aircraft in or out. - Oh, and one lead of the battery is disconnected too, until use.
(mind you - have been known to check on Apprentices lock-wiring of sump plugs after oil changes too, to make sure they lockwired the plug in the correct direction to stop it from coming undone.. found a few that needed to be changed too..)

[gileraguy]

Sorry Jabba, I shold have posted a pic.

the news showed the Europa smashed into a pole outside.

CASA regs say the aircraft has to be secured...

[YPJT]

CASA regs say the aircraft has to be secured...
Not exactly. Aviation Transport Security Regulations (2005) specify the security requirements for aircraft.

4.72 Unattended aircraft
(1) In this regulation:
Australian aircraft has the same meaning as in the Civil
Aviation Act 1988.

(2) There must be reasonable measures taken to protect an
Australian aircraft that is a powered aircraft (other than an
aircraft to which regulation 4.71 applies) against being flown
by an unauthorised person.

(3) For subregulation (2), reasonable measures include, for
example:

(a) wheel locks or clamps; or
(b) lockable control locks; or
(c) the aircraft being chained or padlocked to a permanent
tie-down point; or
(d) the aircraft being inside a locked hangar.

(4) The measures taken:

(a) must be reasonably effective to prevent the aircraft being
flown by an unauthorised person; and
(b) must be discernible from outside the aircraft; and
(c) must not compromise the aircraft’s safety.

(5) If subregulation (2) or (4) is contravened, the registered
operator (within the meaning given by the Civil Aviation
Safety Regulations 1998) of the aircraft concerned is guilty of
an offence.
Penalty: 50 penalty units.

[outnabout]

From reading the report, I thought the aircraft was parked outside, started up, and crashed into a hangar.

It doesn't say anything about the aircraft being inside a locked hangar, so I would hope that reasonable measures had been taken to secure the aircraft.

Still amazing that there are peanuts who think that to break into a secure airfield, then break into an aircraft, and damage it, is an acceptable thing to do.

[YPJT]

lets just hope we don't get a bunch of their bogan mates trying to emulate them.

[Jabawocky]

I do not know all the rules, and probably break a few along the way, but some of you guys need to keep up! ;)

(d) the aircraft being inside a locked hangar.

Thanks YPJT :ok:

[Sarky1]

I have been down and see this, They started it up I'm guessing no throttle lock was on. 2 of the 3 tie downs were untied.

I'm guessing that they started it up after they un-tied the 2 tie downs on the wings, forgot about the bucket full of cement tied to the tail. After starting it up they have applied throttle until the tie down at the back has given way. Allowing them to accelerate for about 25m straight into a hangar, probably had no idea how to even apply brakes. No doubt drunken foolishness.

The aircraft it stored outside and has been for a while.