Cessna 320 VH-CPP
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Cessna 320 VH-CPP
This issue has appeared recently on the VH-MDX forum.
To recap, Cessna 320D VH-CPP, flown by one James Clay, went missing near Coolangatta on 20 Nov 1970. The aircraft and its occupants were still unlocated when ATSB released their report (Investigation 197001306) in March 1972.
I knew of the pilot and indeed flew into Coolangatta on that very murky day in an F.27.
Now, move on nearly 30 years and I’m about to return from living overseas. We’re looking at potential house purchases; one such was a property behind Murwillumbah. I noticed some battered aircraft instruments on an office shelf; one was a twin tachometer and was labelled Cessna. The response to my query “are these from the James Clay accident?” was a mumbled affirmative. I didn’t think much more about this, thinking the wreck had been discovered but, living in HK, I’d missed the news item.
I’ve been wracking my feeble aging brain, but I can’t recall exactly where the house was where I saw the instruments.
My query is: was the wreckage of VH-CPP ever “officially” located??? Or are Clay, his hapless passenger and the Cessna 320 still missing? The thought that the wreck was looted with human remains lying nearly is particularly repulsive.
To recap, Cessna 320D VH-CPP, flown by one James Clay, went missing near Coolangatta on 20 Nov 1970. The aircraft and its occupants were still unlocated when ATSB released their report (Investigation 197001306) in March 1972.
I knew of the pilot and indeed flew into Coolangatta on that very murky day in an F.27.
Now, move on nearly 30 years and I’m about to return from living overseas. We’re looking at potential house purchases; one such was a property behind Murwillumbah. I noticed some battered aircraft instruments on an office shelf; one was a twin tachometer and was labelled Cessna. The response to my query “are these from the James Clay accident?” was a mumbled affirmative. I didn’t think much more about this, thinking the wreck had been discovered but, living in HK, I’d missed the news item.
I’ve been wracking my feeble aging brain, but I can’t recall exactly where the house was where I saw the instruments.
My query is: was the wreckage of VH-CPP ever “officially” located??? Or are Clay, his hapless passenger and the Cessna 320 still missing? The thought that the wreck was looted with human remains lying nearly is particularly repulsive.
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Yes please, I'd appreciate the link....
Thanks.
Thanks.
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Cessna 320 VH-CPP
Yes, would be very interesting. Around 1984/5 I was visiting Pt. Macquarie and the pilot friend I was visiting mentioned it had just been found. Not much other information apart from the story being published at that time in 'People' or 'Pix' - one of those sensationalist rags. Don't think they really had much idea of the facts.
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Cessna 320 VH-CPP
There is a McCauley prop evidently off this aircraft in the Murwillumbah museum. It is incorrectly marked as off a Wirraway. The museum are not particularly keen to accept it is of the C 320 as it was donated by a prominent local person. I have tried through ATSB some years ago to get a final report but to no avail.
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On YouTube, there is a talk by Peter Melsom entitled [U]Jame's Clays Last Flight (
). He was involved in the Jandakot - Bankstown sector. Very interesting and worth a look.
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RatsoreA: Did you ever dig up that link?
A very interesting and sobering video.
A very interesting and sobering video.
