Crew missing as Convair 580 crashes near Wellington
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Black boxes recovered from crashed plane off Kapiti
National News Release, 23:02, 10 October 2003
Divers have tonight recovered the two flight recorders or ‘black boxes’ from the Convair freight plane which crashed into the sea off Kapiti Island a week ago.
Police search spokesman Senior Sergeant Mike Coleman, Kapiti Police, says the boxes were found in the plane’s tail section, lying on the seabed about 35m below the surface.
"They were recovered from a section of the plane measuring about 10m x 5m x 3m," he says. "They’re in our possession overnight and will form part of the air accident investigation."
Some cargo harnesses were also recovered but as yet there is no sign of the bodies of the two air crew -- pilot Barry Cowley and copilot Paul Miller.
"It’s amazing the divers were able to recover anything today," Senior Sergeant Coleman says. "The water visibility was simply atrocious."
He says the divers have sighted a large cargo container and the whole area has been buoyed and marked.
The police and navy dive teams were joined today by the Wellington Police launch Lady Elizabeth III which has been undergoing a major repaint and survey work in Nelson. The Lady ‘Liz’ left Nelson late today and diverted to Mana overnight to pick up extra equipment needed in the search.
Divers will resume their painstaking trawl of the seabed at 8.30am tomorrow.
Police are asking recreational boaties to stay away from the search area off Kapiti.
"We know there will be a lot of vessels out being a weekend and there’s a lot of interest in the recovery operation," Senior Sergeant Coleman says. "The search area is marked but it’s a safety issue too that we keep the target zones clear for the search vessels and the divers."
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Copyright 2003 New Zealand Police
Divers have tonight recovered the two flight recorders or ‘black boxes’ from the Convair freight plane which crashed into the sea off Kapiti Island a week ago.
Police search spokesman Senior Sergeant Mike Coleman, Kapiti Police, says the boxes were found in the plane’s tail section, lying on the seabed about 35m below the surface.
"They were recovered from a section of the plane measuring about 10m x 5m x 3m," he says. "They’re in our possession overnight and will form part of the air accident investigation."
Some cargo harnesses were also recovered but as yet there is no sign of the bodies of the two air crew -- pilot Barry Cowley and copilot Paul Miller.
"It’s amazing the divers were able to recover anything today," Senior Sergeant Coleman says. "The water visibility was simply atrocious."
He says the divers have sighted a large cargo container and the whole area has been buoyed and marked.
The police and navy dive teams were joined today by the Wellington Police launch Lady Elizabeth III which has been undergoing a major repaint and survey work in Nelson. The Lady ‘Liz’ left Nelson late today and diverted to Mana overnight to pick up extra equipment needed in the search.
Divers will resume their painstaking trawl of the seabed at 8.30am tomorrow.
Police are asking recreational boaties to stay away from the search area off Kapiti.
"We know there will be a lot of vessels out being a weekend and there’s a lot of interest in the recovery operation," Senior Sergeant Coleman says. "The search area is marked but it’s a safety issue too that we keep the target zones clear for the search vessels and the divers."
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Copyright 2003 New Zealand Police
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For jungly and deadhead,
Radar 'coasting' is the term used when a radar return, from an aircraft being tracked on radar, is not returned to the radar aerial. The ATC computer then makes a track prediction as to where the target is likely to be based on history of previous radar returns. The target on the radar screen changes to a different form (indicating that this is a 'coasting' target) and moves this target on the radar screen to where the computer predicts the aircraft is likely to be. With the new Skyline equipment the letters CST appear in the aircraft label indicating that target is a prediction. This prediction (or coasting) display lasts for about 15 seconds, and if an actual return is not received before that time expiry the 'coasting' target is removed from the screen. Instances of where coasting can occur are: aircraft in a turn sheilding the aircraft's transponder from the ATC radar (when in an SSR only coverage area) or when a transponder is turned off in flight; aircraft in a turn and tracking tangentally to the Primary SRE aerial (when in primary SRE coverage area).
Radar 'coasting' is the term used when a radar return, from an aircraft being tracked on radar, is not returned to the radar aerial. The ATC computer then makes a track prediction as to where the target is likely to be based on history of previous radar returns. The target on the radar screen changes to a different form (indicating that this is a 'coasting' target) and moves this target on the radar screen to where the computer predicts the aircraft is likely to be. With the new Skyline equipment the letters CST appear in the aircraft label indicating that target is a prediction. This prediction (or coasting) display lasts for about 15 seconds, and if an actual return is not received before that time expiry the 'coasting' target is removed from the screen. Instances of where coasting can occur are: aircraft in a turn sheilding the aircraft's transponder from the ATC radar (when in an SSR only coverage area) or when a transponder is turned off in flight; aircraft in a turn and tracking tangentally to the Primary SRE aerial (when in primary SRE coverage area).
Last edited by BaldEd; 11th Oct 2003 at 17:40.
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Just read that divers have found a body in the wreckage of the aircraft in 35M of water. They are not 100% sure if the other body is also there due to the bad wx stiring up the sea.
Finally some good news for the families, hopefully the other body will be recovered today as well.
All the best
splat
Finally some good news for the families, hopefully the other body will be recovered today as well.
All the best
splat
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From the NZ Herald;
Body retrieved from Kapiti plane crash site
12.10.2003
1.15am
Police and navy divers have retrieved the body of one of the two pilots who died when a freight plane crashed off Kapiti Island a week ago.
The cockpit of the Convair plane was located on the sea floor at about 6.45pm Saturday, with the body inside.
Police have advised the families of pilot Barry Cowley and co-pilot Phil Miller.
Senior Constable Keith Allen said police had not yet been able to identify the body, which was being sent to Wellington for a post-mortem investigation.
"The divers could not determine whether there was another body inside the cockpit," he told NZPA.
Mr Allen said the search would resume today.
The Air Freight New Zealand Convair 580 was flying to Palmerston North from Christchurch when it disappeared from radar between Peka Peka and Kapiti Island during stormy weather.
Divers on Friday recovered the two flight recorders that could explain the cause of the crash.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorders, which were found in an 8-10m long tail section of the plane, are to be sent to North America for specialist analysis.
Major pieces of wreckage were located with the help of sonar equipment aboard the navy reserve patrol boat Wakakura.
On Thursday night it found nine "areas of debris" spread over a two kilometre area on the seabed, in 30 to 35 metres of water.
The search has been complicated by poor visibility -- due to last week's storms -- and strong tidal flows.
Kapiti police spokesman Sergeant Steve Kendrick said search conditions improved slightly yesterday and those involved in the recovery operation were heartened by the latest development.
"It's been an extremely difficult search in very testing conditions.
He said it had been a harrowing time for the families and friends of both men, and he was hopeful of finding the second body today.
- NZPA
Body retrieved from Kapiti plane crash site
12.10.2003
1.15am
Police and navy divers have retrieved the body of one of the two pilots who died when a freight plane crashed off Kapiti Island a week ago.
The cockpit of the Convair plane was located on the sea floor at about 6.45pm Saturday, with the body inside.
Police have advised the families of pilot Barry Cowley and co-pilot Phil Miller.
Senior Constable Keith Allen said police had not yet been able to identify the body, which was being sent to Wellington for a post-mortem investigation.
"The divers could not determine whether there was another body inside the cockpit," he told NZPA.
Mr Allen said the search would resume today.
The Air Freight New Zealand Convair 580 was flying to Palmerston North from Christchurch when it disappeared from radar between Peka Peka and Kapiti Island during stormy weather.
Divers on Friday recovered the two flight recorders that could explain the cause of the crash.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorders, which were found in an 8-10m long tail section of the plane, are to be sent to North America for specialist analysis.
Major pieces of wreckage were located with the help of sonar equipment aboard the navy reserve patrol boat Wakakura.
On Thursday night it found nine "areas of debris" spread over a two kilometre area on the seabed, in 30 to 35 metres of water.
The search has been complicated by poor visibility -- due to last week's storms -- and strong tidal flows.
Kapiti police spokesman Sergeant Steve Kendrick said search conditions improved slightly yesterday and those involved in the recovery operation were heartened by the latest development.
"It's been an extremely difficult search in very testing conditions.
He said it had been a harrowing time for the families and friends of both men, and he was hopeful of finding the second body today.
- NZPA
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The latest from the police website:
http://www.police.govt.nz/news/
http://www.police.govt.nz/news/
Identity confirmed for plane crash pilot
National News Release, 16:27, 13 October 2003
Dental records have helped confirm that the body recovered from the seabed off Kapiti Island is that of Barry Ronald Cowley.
Mr Cowley, 58, of Kaiapoi, Christchurch, was the pilot of the Convair freight plane which crashed into the sea between Peka Peka and Kapiti Island during the height of a rainstorm on Friday night, 3 October.
Police search spokesman Senior Sergeant Mike Coleman says Mr Cowley?s body was recovered from the cockpit on Saturday night. Dental records and papers found on the body helped confirm Mr Cowley?s identity.
A post mortem was held in Wellington today, the results of which will be passed to the coroner.
Mr Coleman says winds and rough seas prevented any salvage operation taking place today.
"We hope conditions will be more favourable tomorrow although the chances of finding the co-pilot, Paul Miller, are very slim," Mr Coleman says.
Copyright 2003 New Zealand Police
National News Release, 16:27, 13 October 2003
Dental records have helped confirm that the body recovered from the seabed off Kapiti Island is that of Barry Ronald Cowley.
Mr Cowley, 58, of Kaiapoi, Christchurch, was the pilot of the Convair freight plane which crashed into the sea between Peka Peka and Kapiti Island during the height of a rainstorm on Friday night, 3 October.
Police search spokesman Senior Sergeant Mike Coleman says Mr Cowley?s body was recovered from the cockpit on Saturday night. Dental records and papers found on the body helped confirm Mr Cowley?s identity.
A post mortem was held in Wellington today, the results of which will be passed to the coroner.
Mr Coleman says winds and rough seas prevented any salvage operation taking place today.
"We hope conditions will be more favourable tomorrow although the chances of finding the co-pilot, Paul Miller, are very slim," Mr Coleman says.
Copyright 2003 New Zealand Police
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RIP Barry.
He was the type of airman most of us aspire to be.
Some of the experience he carried around just cannot be had anymore.
My condolences to the family.
Thanks Y D F D for keeping us posted.
He was the type of airman most of us aspire to be.
Some of the experience he carried around just cannot be had anymore.
My condolences to the family.
Thanks Y D F D for keeping us posted.
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Second body recovered from plane crash site
16.10.2003 www.nzherald.co.nz
Police divers last night recovered a second body, believed to be that of missing pilot Paul Miller, from the area where a plane crashed off the Kapiti Coast nearly two weeks ago.
A Wellington district police spokeswoman said divers working off the coast north of Wellington, in the area where the badly smashed cockpit of the plane was raised yesterday, noticed what they thought was a body about 9.30pm.
A subsequent dive recovered the body and police hope a post mortem and formal identification today will confirm that it is Paul Miller, 50, of Thames.
Work to salvage the freight plane had been hampered by rough seas since it crashed in a storm on October 3 with two people on board.
But yesterday, perfect conditions allowed the cockpit to be brought to the surface, Kapiti police Senior Sergeant Mike Coleman said.
The body of co-pilot Barry Cowley, 58, of Kaiapoi, Christchurch, was recovered from the sea on Saturday.
Salvage operations for remaining wreckage will continue today.
- NZPA
Police divers last night recovered a second body, believed to be that of missing pilot Paul Miller, from the area where a plane crashed off the Kapiti Coast nearly two weeks ago.
A Wellington district police spokeswoman said divers working off the coast north of Wellington, in the area where the badly smashed cockpit of the plane was raised yesterday, noticed what they thought was a body about 9.30pm.
A subsequent dive recovered the body and police hope a post mortem and formal identification today will confirm that it is Paul Miller, 50, of Thames.
Work to salvage the freight plane had been hampered by rough seas since it crashed in a storm on October 3 with two people on board.
But yesterday, perfect conditions allowed the cockpit to be brought to the surface, Kapiti police Senior Sergeant Mike Coleman said.
The body of co-pilot Barry Cowley, 58, of Kaiapoi, Christchurch, was recovered from the sea on Saturday.
Salvage operations for remaining wreckage will continue today.
- NZPA
