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VH-KZJ Mayday

Old 30th Apr 2008, 08:49
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VH-KZJ Mayday

Just got back from Shepparton, enroute i heard a mooney VH-KZJ call Mayday. Was suffering engine problems/failure and making forced landing 28nm SW of Wangratta with 1 POB.
Anyone heard anything more about this? Hope he made it ok.

Druco
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Old 1st May 2008, 04:24
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We also heard the mayday come through while we were on 119.5 on our way to Albury. It certainly was sobering to listen to the calm way both the gentleman concerned and the very professional lady controller managed the ordeal.

I hope all turned-out well in the end, thoughts go out to those involved.
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Old 1st May 2008, 05:07
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I was only in WGT just yesterday on a job. That place has a thriving well organized maint crowd that does Mooney's & i think I saw that exact plane there whist on the ground.
Hopefully the guy is okay & is now experienced at real forced ldg's, he's in a club I don't wish to join! Well done in advance!


CW
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Old 1st May 2008, 05:08
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Arrow The Border Mail

From page 10 of The Border Mail today:

Fault brings pilot down in paddock
By John Conroy
A SYDNEY pilot made a successful emergency landing in a paddock near Everton late yesterday afternoon.
The man, 51, had taken off from Wangaratta in his Mooney M20J single engine four seater plane.
After discovering a mechanical fault, the pilot attempted to return to Wangaratta airport but was forced down about 5pm in a paddock just east of Everton, near Cemetery Lane.
Emergency services had been dispatched but arrived to find the plane had landed safely with no injuries to the pilot and only minor damage to the plane's undercarriage.
The man was the sole occupant of the plane.
"He did a good job, he's obviously kept pretty level-headed throughout," Sgt Darren Bentley said. "He missed all the cows in the paddock so the farmer was pretty happy as well."
The details of the mechanical fault are unknown.
Police will now help prepare a report for the Civil Aviation safety Authority.
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Old 1st May 2008, 05:20
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Tnxs ABX, that settles that!
Cows are happy as well? On reflection some 'cheap' meat might have been on hand, then again slicing & dicing a beast with a prop ain't cheap!


CW
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Old 1st May 2008, 05:30
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Minor damage???

Aircraft was landed wheels up due to shortness of available real estate so I'm not so sure about "minor damage".



BSB
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Old 1st May 2008, 05:46
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Hey 'BSB' Mooney's on any ramp look as tho they have arrived wheels up!! Talk about ducks disease
Humans are all that's important here, bubba the plane..........literally!

CW
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Old 1st May 2008, 06:20
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As someone far wiser about matters aviation than me once said;

''The second that the 'noise' stops in an aircraft when it's not supposed to is the moment that the Insurance Company owns the airframe! It is then their worry, yours is to ensure that your hide remains whole and uninjured!''
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Old 1st May 2008, 06:31
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Well done to the guy. Obviously too early for his appointment.
but was forced down about 5pm in a paddock just east of Everton, near Cemetery Lane
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Old 1st May 2008, 06:48
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Well put Brian, I had thought along the lines of "if he speared in, could have just dozed a mound over the wreck" or something lacking in taste, but you have done it so much finer!

J
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Old 1st May 2008, 07:02
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If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to park one in a paddock, you would be hard pressed to find a better aircraft than a Mooney to do it in. They have one of the best glide ratios going and the little suckers are very strongly built.

Be interesting to know what happened. Was it just out of maintenance?

Dr

PS: Well done that pilot!
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Old 1st May 2008, 07:05
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ABX, thanks for that!

....He did a good job, he's obviously kept pretty level-headed throughout...
I'd have to reckon that is one of the understatements of this year to date.... Transmissions were (of course) tense, but not panicked. I have to admit I felt decidedly cold when after it had all unfolded he was being called by ML CTR, but there was no reply....

Thank god he's alright.
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Old 1st May 2008, 07:53
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That would be an uncomfortable feeling, not hearing a response to Centre's calls.

But in just about any forced landing, you'd expect no response for a while, because you'd expect the pilot to turn the master switches off before landing... and only turn them back on again to use the radios once satisfied that there was no risk from doing so.
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Old 1st May 2008, 07:57
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I can tell you for free, it's no picnic calling an pilot/acft that has announced some difficulty or other, when there's no reply.

Very chilling.

Well done to the chappy for getting it and him down safely.
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Old 1st May 2008, 08:07
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Originally Posted by The Voice
I can tell you for free, it's no picnic calling an pilot/acft that has announced some difficulty or other, when there's no reply.
Just wondering whether ATC (or Censar) would also try calling the mobile number given in the flight plan as well? If the plane's on the ground, they'd probably have better luck getting throuh that way .. (that's if they're with Telstra Mobilenet .. with Australiawide coverage )
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Old 1st May 2008, 08:45
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Thats a relief to hear he's ok. Too right that silence after his last transmission was very tense, that last question i heard CEN ask him was about the terrain, if he was clear. i think he muttered somthing like "I hope so" and that was it. Glad he's fine.


Druco
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Old 1st May 2008, 09:50
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For situations like these I kee the number of Melbourne Centre in my phone, just in case. I got the number one day when I had to call them in an emergency. When I rang it in an emergency a year later I was asked, "where on earth did you get this number!" I think it was the "Presidential AirServices red phone." I can share it if you want!

It's bad enough when you hear them calling with no response, let alone when you know that something is actually wrong.
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Old 1st May 2008, 10:54
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Top Work!

Hello All,

I recently spent some time in the new Acclaim with this operator, you can bet that he did everything smoothly and by the numbers (there may have been some language). I don't think I would like to do a 'quiet landing' but you could do a lot worse than have VR there with you!


Cheers,
Solocmv.
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Old 1st May 2008, 12:53
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Just wondering whether ATC (or Censar) would also try calling the mobile number given in the flight plan as well? If the plane's on the ground, they'd probably have better luck getting throuh that way .. (that's if they're with Telstra Mobilenet .. with Australiawide coverage )
Yep, sure do. We'll try on the radio 1st of course, but as has been said, we'd expect everything to be shutdown for the arrival, but not unknown, if the landing has been okay, for the radio to fired up to report the good news.

FYI, we also try the mobile if an acft goes 'no-com' for a while, and we've been unable to raise a response in the usual ways, just in case you've left the mobile on, and you happen to be in coverage! Long shot, but it works sometimes.
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Old 1st May 2008, 13:05
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"where on earth did you get this number!" I think it was the "Presidential AirServices red phone."
oh, and BTW, there aint no "Presidential AirServices red phone"; the guy was probably just surprised that head office had paid the bill!

seriously though, don't hesitate to call
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