PDA

View Full Version : Britten-Norman BN-2 missing over Venezuela


1stspotter
5th Jan 2013, 15:39
Vliegtuigongeval op 04 JAN 2013 met Britten-Norman BN-2A-27 Islander YV2615 - between Los Roques and Caracas (http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20130104-0&lang=nl)

Picture of the aircraft involved
JetPhotos.Net Photo » YV2615 Private Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander by Bruno Orofino (http://jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=7210300&nseq=0)

Son of fashion designer Missoni missing in Venezuela plane disappearance - Telegraph (http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG9782122/Son-of-fashion-designer-Missoni-missing-in-Venezuela-plane-disappearance.html)

Also this report :

The head of the family-owned Missoni fashion business, Vittorio, and his wife Maurizia, were among six people who went missing aboard a small tourist biplane that vanished from the radar near the archipelago of Los Roques in Venezuela.

*The twin-engine 1968 Britten-Norman BN-2 vanished from radar after flying about 10 nautical miles from Los Roques, where the Missoni couple had been reportedly spending Christmas and New Year at a resort, Venezuelan minister for justice and home affairs Nestor Reverol said.

The plane, which also carried another couple and two Venezuelan crew members, was heading to Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia.
Venezuelan Navy planes have conducted searches since losing contact with the plane.

The 58-year-old Vittorio Missoni is the eldest son of Italian designer Ottavio, who in 1953 founded the fashion house known for its signature multi-colored geometrical knits.

Ottavio currently heads the American and French affiliates of the luxury fashion brand, worth over €60.1 million, as commercial and marketing director of the Missoni SpA, the Telegraph reported.

Five years ago, on January 4, another plane carrying 14 passengers, eight of them Italian, went missing in the same area. The wreck was never located after the engines failed and the vehicle vanished into the sea. Only the body of the co-pilot was recovered

sevenstrokeroll
5th Jan 2013, 19:10
since when has the islander been a biplane?

due respect to those involved.

crHedBngr
5th Jan 2013, 19:54
A bit more on this topic: Plane carrying Italian fashion icon Missoni missing (http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/01/05/missoni-plane-missing-venezuela/1810975/)

Supposedly, 24 hours after the plane disappeared, there is still no sign of the aircraft . . .

Blind Squirrel
6th Jan 2013, 21:00
since when has the islander been a biplane?

I dare say a lot of people with no background in aviation think that "biplane" is synonymous with "twin-engined aircraft." A reasonable mistake, if one doesn't know one's aviation history.

For my money, a less forgiveable error is the picture of an Aer Lingus aircraft currently illustrating Yahoo! News' story on the unruly Icelandair passenger who was duct-taped to his seat. What do you bet that the person responsible mis-typed "Ireland Air" into Google Images and took the first picture that came along?

1stspotter
8th Jan 2013, 20:32
The Guardian has a story that the area the plane disappeared is the new Bermuda Triagle.
Are the Los Roques islands the new Bermuda Triangle? | World news | The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/shortcuts/2013/jan/07/los-roques-the-new-bermuda-triangle)

Newforest2
28th Jun 2013, 17:50
Short on details, but the plane is supposed to have been found!

Italian Fashion Boss's Crashed Plane Found - Venezuela says it has located plane (http://www.newser.com/story/170166/italian-fashion-boss-crashed-plane-found.html)

Carbon Bootprint
28th Jun 2013, 19:08
From a link I found in the article mentioned by Newforest referring to the pilot's expired license:

(NEWSER) – The search for fashion boss Vittorio Missoni and others aboard a small plane that went missing off the coast of Venezuela Jan. 4 continues, and a new report today doesn't exactly inspire confidence: An Italian newspaper says neither the 72-year-old pilot nor the small airline he worked for had a license to fly, reports Vogue. The pilot's license expired in November, and though his age has caused concern, New York notes that a separate Italian report called him "one of the most expert and respected pilots" in the region. Italy has sent its own experts to help in the search.

Source (http://www.newser.com/story/161023/pilot-of-missing-missoni-plane-had-expired-license.html)

I am not familiar with Newser, so I'm unsure of their veracity. Seems interesting, though.