Merged: James Maria - well known crop duster pilot dies in mid air collission
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Merged: Mid-air crash at Wee Waa
One dead in northern NSW mid-air crash
Tuesday Feb 26 11:07 AEDT
One man is dead following a mid-air collision involving two planes in northern NSW, the Ambulance Service of NSW says.
Ambulance paramedics were called to the site of the plane crash 10km north of Wee Waa about 9.45am (AEDT) on Tuesday.
One man is confirmed dead, while a 47-year-old man was able to free himself from the wreckage, an ambulance spokeswoman said.
The man suffered serious leg and back injuries, she said.
Emergency helicopters are en route to the scene.
Two AT502's
Di
Tuesday Feb 26 11:07 AEDT
One man is dead following a mid-air collision involving two planes in northern NSW, the Ambulance Service of NSW says.
Ambulance paramedics were called to the site of the plane crash 10km north of Wee Waa about 9.45am (AEDT) on Tuesday.
One man is confirmed dead, while a 47-year-old man was able to free himself from the wreckage, an ambulance spokeswoman said.
The man suffered serious leg and back injuries, she said.
Emergency helicopters are en route to the scene.Two AT502's
Di
Last edited by Diatryma; 26th Feb 2008 at 00:49.
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3rd mid air in as many weeks. What's going on????
It was two crop dusters according to the news.
It was two crop dusters according to the news.
Last edited by marty1468; 25th Feb 2008 at 23:54.
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sad event
With much sadness we have a loss of life of another friend, a pilot, an Ag pilot. All who share the love of flying & therefore the risks am sure are sadenned by this lattest tragic event.
rest piecefully there fellow flyer, we will meet again this time above the clouds
Two Ag planes collide today in nthern nsw
CW
rest piecefully there fellow flyer, we will meet again this time above the clouds
Two Ag planes collide today in nthern nsw
CW
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Diatryma When its appropriate It would be much appreciated if you could post some details or pm, as I misspent my youth and early flying career in that part of the world. Condolences to the family's and colleagues.
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Or it could have been a subtle reminder to those who want to splash the information about that there is a proper process to follow to notify those concerned before the curious...
Rest in peace
Rest in peace
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i knew them i was at school when it happened and thanks that you are supporting you may also know of the accident from december 2006 but the man alive was very lucky thanks all.
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I go along with foyl and i don't reckon there was anything snooty about the post by Diatryma at all.
this is a sad reminder of just how quickly and fatally something can happen.
condolences to the families
this is a sad reminder of just how quickly and fatally something can happen.
condolences to the families
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Beach King,
Nice of you to notice. It's an occupational hazard - not a macabre fascination.
Anyway - enough about me everyone!
Back to the topic.
Condolences to the family, friends and work colleagues of the unfortunate pilot.
Best wishes also to the survivor. Get well soon mate.
Di.
Nice of you to notice. It's an occupational hazard - not a macabre fascination.
Anyway - enough about me everyone!
Back to the topic.Condolences to the family, friends and work colleagues of the unfortunate pilot.
Best wishes also to the survivor. Get well soon mate.
Di.
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Merged: James Maria - well known crop duster pilot dies in mid air collission
Dead crop duster pilot 'one of the best'
SMH
February 27, 2008 - 7:46PM
A pilot killed when two crop dusters collided in northern NSW was one of Australia's most experienced agricultural aviators, his employer says.
The aircraft collided in midair above a farm near Trindalls Lane, 10km north of Wee Waa, about 9.45am (AEDT) on Tuesday.
Sixty-year-old James Maria, a Wee Waa father of five and grandfather, died when his aircraft burst into flames on hitting the ground, police said.
The other pilot, another local man, dragged himself to safety despite broken limbs and minor burns.
The 45-year-old was in a serious but stable condition at Tamworth Base Hospital, police said.
Mr Maria had been flying for Cropjet Aviation, while the other aircraft had been operated by Cropair.
The owner of Cropjet Aviation, Conrad Bolton, said Mr Maria had been turning his plane after spraying a paddock when he collided with the other machine, which had just taken off and was on its way to another job.
Mr Maria had chalked up at least 10,000 hours flying crop dusters in 36 years as a pilot and was "probably Australia's most senior agricultural pilot", Mr Bolton told AAP.
He said he had known Mr Maria "for decades" since working as ground crew for him as a schoolboy.
"It's a big blow," he said.
Mr Bolton said the accident had devastated Mr Maria's five children.
"They are extremely upset, they were very close to their father and he lived for his kids, I can tell you that," he said.
"He was just working for his kids, to make sure they got the very best start out of life.
"He was very proud of them - they're just devastated."
Mr Bolton said it was a "very, very rare event" for two crop dusters to collide.
"Air agriculture is very visual, you haven't got time to be looking down at your instruments," Mr Bolton said.
"It's heads up, observing everything that's going on around the aircraft.
"(A collision is) something that's almost an impossibility but it's happened."
Air Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators have been sifting through the wreckage of the planes.
The ATSB will prepare a preliminary report in a month's time and a full report within a year.
It is the second fatal crash in 18 months involving a Cropjet Aviation aircraft.
A pilot died when one of the company's crop dusters went down in the Collarenebri district in December 2006.
Mr Bolton said the ATSB had yet to determine what caused that crash, but said he was confident the bureau would find his company was doing all it could to meet safety and maintenance requirements.
SMH
February 27, 2008 - 7:46PM
A pilot killed when two crop dusters collided in northern NSW was one of Australia's most experienced agricultural aviators, his employer says.
The aircraft collided in midair above a farm near Trindalls Lane, 10km north of Wee Waa, about 9.45am (AEDT) on Tuesday.
Sixty-year-old James Maria, a Wee Waa father of five and grandfather, died when his aircraft burst into flames on hitting the ground, police said.
The other pilot, another local man, dragged himself to safety despite broken limbs and minor burns.
The 45-year-old was in a serious but stable condition at Tamworth Base Hospital, police said.
Mr Maria had been flying for Cropjet Aviation, while the other aircraft had been operated by Cropair.
The owner of Cropjet Aviation, Conrad Bolton, said Mr Maria had been turning his plane after spraying a paddock when he collided with the other machine, which had just taken off and was on its way to another job.
Mr Maria had chalked up at least 10,000 hours flying crop dusters in 36 years as a pilot and was "probably Australia's most senior agricultural pilot", Mr Bolton told AAP.
He said he had known Mr Maria "for decades" since working as ground crew for him as a schoolboy.
"It's a big blow," he said.
Mr Bolton said the accident had devastated Mr Maria's five children.
"They are extremely upset, they were very close to their father and he lived for his kids, I can tell you that," he said.
"He was just working for his kids, to make sure they got the very best start out of life.
"He was very proud of them - they're just devastated."
Mr Bolton said it was a "very, very rare event" for two crop dusters to collide.
"Air agriculture is very visual, you haven't got time to be looking down at your instruments," Mr Bolton said.
"It's heads up, observing everything that's going on around the aircraft.
"(A collision is) something that's almost an impossibility but it's happened."
Air Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators have been sifting through the wreckage of the planes.
The ATSB will prepare a preliminary report in a month's time and a full report within a year.
It is the second fatal crash in 18 months involving a Cropjet Aviation aircraft.
A pilot died when one of the company's crop dusters went down in the Collarenebri district in December 2006.
Mr Bolton said the ATSB had yet to determine what caused that crash, but said he was confident the bureau would find his company was doing all it could to meet safety and maintenance requirements.
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A shocking thing when these blokes go like this. living in the country for many years, as a old jet jockey, I used to watch these flyers working around the Hunter from whence I came, and used to think that the aircraft they flew and the way they flew them was far more exciting then signing on for a trip to LHR. Our condolences to his family and best wishes for a recovery for the other bloke.
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Likewise, when I was both country boy and aspiring aviator I used to watch these guys and dream despite parental discouragement. Still do dream of their type of grass roots flying. Always admired their skill at dealing with man and nature's obstacles, and reading the ever-changing surroundings. Sad to hear one has gone.
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Vale James,
Though I do not recall meeting James during my stint as a bug smasher, which was mainly in the southern parts of Australia, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to his family who have a huge loss to cope with.
Ag flying in Aus claims pilots every year who are out there every day helping to provide the low cost, high quality abundance of food and fibre that the balance of the nation take for granted. The wool, cotton, beef, vegetable and fruit industries all benefit greatly from the commitment and skill of pilots such as James who made a career of this type of flying. Make no mistake ag-flying is a hazardous occupation where very few pilots take risks for granted.
Those of you who have seen or watched an ag-pilot at work cannot even begin to imagine what it’s like to live and breathe the level of flying involved on a daily basis. Words, or even pictures cannot go anywhere the reality of what this work is like, which is why whilst most of these pilots will tell a few ‘war stories’ up the pub, they can only really relate to other ag-pilots. If they tried to explain to you what its really like you would think they were trying to bullsh*t about it. Until you have flown under the touching branches of two adjacent trees, or flown between two trees that were closer together than your wing span, or flown under a power line that is lower than your tail fin, or flown along a row of trees with one wing under the branches with the controls crossed to keep that wing down low enough and to use the slipstream to blow spray under the trees, when you have kicked the tail left and right to pull the wing tips away from a series of trees/poles whilst keeping the fuselage on a constant line across the paddock, or till you have flat turned under a wire at the start or end of a run because the tress are so close, or flown between buildings/tress/poles/wires/ you name it with inches to spare, and you have done all of this at 130 knots, a metre above the ground, whilst you are also monitoring chemical quantity/ flow rate/boom pressure/nozzle flow/tracking system/susceptible crops/gawking bystanders/dead tree branches/unmarked star pickets/wind conditions/engine parameters while also keeping an eye out for birds (serious size ones that is) that appear from behind trees and buildings, and do all of this day in day out all year in different districts for different weeds/crops/livestock with different types and rates of chemicals/fertilizers/weather conditions/terrain/farmers/agents/loaders/aircraft types whilst flying with the stick between your knees because you are rolling a durrie, you cannot even get an inkling of what the job entails. At least, my first wife could never understand it, or cope with the constant tension of a potential phone call with the bad news while she was home alone with the kids. My new one won’t let me go back to the huge hours, the time away from home and family, the smell of chemical and the great times that I with my ag-pilot friends celebrating life after another hard day.
So from an ex-aggie to James’ family and friends I say that I understand your loss and grief but please know that James was a member of an elite band of pilots who have no equal in the aviation fraternity and one who will be well remembered by those who do know the reality of that business.
HD
Though I do not recall meeting James during my stint as a bug smasher, which was mainly in the southern parts of Australia, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to his family who have a huge loss to cope with.
Ag flying in Aus claims pilots every year who are out there every day helping to provide the low cost, high quality abundance of food and fibre that the balance of the nation take for granted. The wool, cotton, beef, vegetable and fruit industries all benefit greatly from the commitment and skill of pilots such as James who made a career of this type of flying. Make no mistake ag-flying is a hazardous occupation where very few pilots take risks for granted.
Those of you who have seen or watched an ag-pilot at work cannot even begin to imagine what it’s like to live and breathe the level of flying involved on a daily basis. Words, or even pictures cannot go anywhere the reality of what this work is like, which is why whilst most of these pilots will tell a few ‘war stories’ up the pub, they can only really relate to other ag-pilots. If they tried to explain to you what its really like you would think they were trying to bullsh*t about it. Until you have flown under the touching branches of two adjacent trees, or flown between two trees that were closer together than your wing span, or flown under a power line that is lower than your tail fin, or flown along a row of trees with one wing under the branches with the controls crossed to keep that wing down low enough and to use the slipstream to blow spray under the trees, when you have kicked the tail left and right to pull the wing tips away from a series of trees/poles whilst keeping the fuselage on a constant line across the paddock, or till you have flat turned under a wire at the start or end of a run because the tress are so close, or flown between buildings/tress/poles/wires/ you name it with inches to spare, and you have done all of this at 130 knots, a metre above the ground, whilst you are also monitoring chemical quantity/ flow rate/boom pressure/nozzle flow/tracking system/susceptible crops/gawking bystanders/dead tree branches/unmarked star pickets/wind conditions/engine parameters while also keeping an eye out for birds (serious size ones that is) that appear from behind trees and buildings, and do all of this day in day out all year in different districts for different weeds/crops/livestock with different types and rates of chemicals/fertilizers/weather conditions/terrain/farmers/agents/loaders/aircraft types whilst flying with the stick between your knees because you are rolling a durrie, you cannot even get an inkling of what the job entails. At least, my first wife could never understand it, or cope with the constant tension of a potential phone call with the bad news while she was home alone with the kids. My new one won’t let me go back to the huge hours, the time away from home and family, the smell of chemical and the great times that I with my ag-pilot friends celebrating life after another hard day.
So from an ex-aggie to James’ family and friends I say that I understand your loss and grief but please know that James was a member of an elite band of pilots who have no equal in the aviation fraternity and one who will be well remembered by those who do know the reality of that business.
HD
