Plane crash Sunshine Coast 3 lost ?
Thread Starter
Greetings, yes I am in Europe, have been for about 3 weeks with another 4 weeks to go doing some training courses and aircraft certification.
I was only listening to the air traffic control feed because the only English television channel, CNN was on its 2nd loop and I had exhausted just about every other bookmark related to aviation. I occasionally listen to a traffic control in my local area when travelling, it is kind of a way to beat homesickness when you hear Australian voices and places and names that you recognise.
It now seems that this is/was a huge hoax, I have not listened a 2nd time but it is obvious that the original aircraft in distress is the same person broadcasting as wedgetail. Things started to go strange for me when not only did the voice sound same but the quality of transmissions was about the same, wedgetail suddenly appeared without notice somewhere south of the Gold Coast after being scrambled from Newcastle, this is one of Australia's latest and greatest aviation platforms and yet the radio was crap quality, the guy was making mistakes even though he is meant to be fully trained by the air force and so on.
A lot of wasted resources, time and money. I personally feel for the air traffic control operator who did a terrific job under the circumstances and now after the event is probably feeling both cheated and relieved. You could see he invested a lot of himself in these radio calls and this is one thing that really pisses me off, interestingly he was removed from the console shortly after the aircraft "crashed"
If the person who did this is reading the thread, good luck to you! You will get caught and hopefully you will get a huge fine and hopefully jail time.
I was only listening to the air traffic control feed because the only English television channel, CNN was on its 2nd loop and I had exhausted just about every other bookmark related to aviation. I occasionally listen to a traffic control in my local area when travelling, it is kind of a way to beat homesickness when you hear Australian voices and places and names that you recognise.
It now seems that this is/was a huge hoax, I have not listened a 2nd time but it is obvious that the original aircraft in distress is the same person broadcasting as wedgetail. Things started to go strange for me when not only did the voice sound same but the quality of transmissions was about the same, wedgetail suddenly appeared without notice somewhere south of the Gold Coast after being scrambled from Newcastle, this is one of Australia's latest and greatest aviation platforms and yet the radio was crap quality, the guy was making mistakes even though he is meant to be fully trained by the air force and so on.
A lot of wasted resources, time and money. I personally feel for the air traffic control operator who did a terrific job under the circumstances and now after the event is probably feeling both cheated and relieved. You could see he invested a lot of himself in these radio calls and this is one thing that really pisses me off, interestingly he was removed from the console shortly after the aircraft "crashed"
If the person who did this is reading the thread, good luck to you! You will get caught and hopefully you will get a huge fine and hopefully jail time.
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Early on he (henceforth known as 'the d!ckhead') mentioned he was in a Mooney, when a 10 second search of Google shows that the callsign he was using is in fact for a Cessna 185. For the ATC'ers, is there any procedure once an aircraft calls up with difficulty on the radio to check the register (to confirm aircraft type, operator, owner?).
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i decided it was a hoax when the supposed wedgetail callsign was "wedgetail"
somehow i doubt that...
somehow i doubt that...
During Vietnam, 2SQN used the callsign Magpie, but that's now used by 75SQN Hornets, so I guess Wedgetail was the next most obvious, albeit unimaginative option.
This has been mentioned briefly, however I think it needs restating.
I do believe the ATCers involved deserve a huge pat on the back. It is no doubt obvious that at some stage they became aware they were dealing with a hoax, but calmly continued to entertain this fool whilst going about their normal duty of controlling other aircraft.
Well done guys and girls!
I do believe the ATCers involved deserve a huge pat on the back. It is no doubt obvious that at some stage they became aware they were dealing with a hoax, but calmly continued to entertain this fool whilst going about their normal duty of controlling other aircraft.
Well done guys and girls!
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wishiwasupthere....
There was a young fella in Perth that pulled a stunt like this a few years ago. Eventually the Feds caught up with him. Not sure what sort of punishment it was, probably a slap on the wrist considering our poor excuse for a legal system.
There was a young fella in Perth that pulled a stunt like this a few years ago. Eventually the Feds caught up with him. Not sure what sort of punishment it was, probably a slap on the wrist considering our poor excuse for a legal system.
I don't know anything about the incident, or the offender or the circumstances, or the sentence. I'm just like lots of other people who read of these things in the media in that regard.
All I know is that a false report is worth up to 2 years and a conviction makes it extremely likely there will also be an order for restitution of all the costs incurred as a consequence of the crime. Doubtless, there were other charges, too.
Kaz
Thread Starter
Hi Kaz, but will the person plead out on mental grounds, ruined life, upset stomach etc....
There was a huge waste of resources last night, there were stresses on ATC personnel who I think at the time genuinely thought they were dealing with a real person and a real aircraft in difficulty. To say over and over "I'm gone" has an effect on every person who listens to the broadcast and I am sure to the ATC controller.
It is just a sad way to entertain yourself late night and early morning and the person responsible really does need some help.
Each time something like this happens and the pilot is not sounding like a real pilot, but someone similar to the character last night, we may get a situation where ATC does not take the situation seriously and we end up with a real fatality possibly. I would hope that ATC takes every report seriously without reservation until proven otherwise.
In retrospect thinking about this much later it is easy to pick holes in everything and identify it as a hoax but at the time when you are listening live and these things are happening you get caught up in the emotion. Added to the fact that aircraft like Singapore airlines identified a beacon and a location as a third-party report gave everything real credibility. If this nutter not only has VHF radio but also an EPIRB (one of the new 406 MHz types with inbuilt GPS) I respectfully suggest that he registers the beacon properly before he uses it next time.
I am just so appreciative of ATC and the controller in particular and hope that he suffers no ill effects from this dangerous and stupid prank.
There was a huge waste of resources last night, there were stresses on ATC personnel who I think at the time genuinely thought they were dealing with a real person and a real aircraft in difficulty. To say over and over "I'm gone" has an effect on every person who listens to the broadcast and I am sure to the ATC controller.
It is just a sad way to entertain yourself late night and early morning and the person responsible really does need some help.
Each time something like this happens and the pilot is not sounding like a real pilot, but someone similar to the character last night, we may get a situation where ATC does not take the situation seriously and we end up with a real fatality possibly. I would hope that ATC takes every report seriously without reservation until proven otherwise.
In retrospect thinking about this much later it is easy to pick holes in everything and identify it as a hoax but at the time when you are listening live and these things are happening you get caught up in the emotion. Added to the fact that aircraft like Singapore airlines identified a beacon and a location as a third-party report gave everything real credibility. If this nutter not only has VHF radio but also an EPIRB (one of the new 406 MHz types with inbuilt GPS) I respectfully suggest that he registers the beacon properly before he uses it next time.
I am just so appreciative of ATC and the controller in particular and hope that he suffers no ill effects from this dangerous and stupid prank.
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By some of the things he said (radar LSALTs, radials, etc) I suspect he has some flying experience. I imagine he may even be reading this forum. Hopefully he'll be seeing the inside of a cell before too long.
Last edited by wishiwasupthere; 28th Oct 2014 at 22:01.
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Hi Kaz, but will the person plead out on mental grounds, ruined life, upset stomach etc....
I know I have clients who have had horrific life experiences from childhood...sexual and physical abuse, privation, psychological torture, severe psychotic episodes and more...Their ability to make rational decisions regarding their behaviour and consequently their culpability is diminished.
I don't know anything about this guy but experience says that something is likely to be seriously wrong in his head. A psych ward may be more appropriate than a cell but I don't know. That's what magistrates and judges are for.
I am just so appreciative of ATC and the controller in particular and hope that he suffers no ill effects from this dangerous and stupid prank.
Kaz
Really strange calls from the pilot sounded like super drunk or stressed slow, slow calls, really labored voice.
DF.
If he wasn't hypoxic then, he will be when the authorities wring his neck 
Wake up Desert Flower.
DF.
It wasn't much to listen to really, just a guy that sounded half intoxicated saying meaningless stuff like "my hydraulics are gone, there's smoke in the cockpit," etc etc.
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I think I've run into a few of these types before in my volunteer emergency service days.
The type of person who wants to feel important, but usually has a learning difficulty or some other disability preventing them from doing much of value.
Joins the local RFS brigade and lights fires to give themselves something to do, gets caught out when people start wondering how they always manage to be the first person at the job no matter where it is around town.
The type of person who wants to feel important, but usually has a learning difficulty or some other disability preventing them from doing much of value.
Joins the local RFS brigade and lights fires to give themselves something to do, gets caught out when people start wondering how they always manage to be the first person at the job no matter where it is around town.
