Mooney 2POB missing west of Coffs Harbour
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Mooney 2POB missing west of Coffs Harbour
Departed Murwillumbah at 0630 and failed to arrive Taree. Westpac 3 and AMSAR jet doing circuits near high ground of Mt Moombil comms tower where last signal received.
Aircraft missing west of Coffs Harbour
A plane is missing after it faded off the radar west of Coffs Harbour on the NSW north coast.
Its understood the light plane was bound for Taree.
Police say they were advised the aircraft was missing about 11.45am on Friday. Its last known communications were about 7.30am.
"It's unknown how many people were on board," a NSW Police spokeswoman told AAP.
Its understood the light plane was bound for Taree.
Police say they were advised the aircraft was missing about 11.45am on Friday. Its last known communications were about 7.30am.
"It's unknown how many people were on board," a NSW Police spokeswoman told AAP.
SSR aircraft is looking in this area west of Coffs Harbour
Looking at FR24, it looks like VH-DJU dropped of FR24 at this location around 0933 UTC
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/a...h-dju#222accba
Edit: Aircraft was last recorded at 3,200 feet and descending, their is terrain at 3,400 feet around the area of last known.....
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Crash site of missing plane found in northern NSW, AMSA says
Crash site of the Mooney located... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-...n-nsw/11535440
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Looking at some discussion on Facebook on this, and the conversation pretty quickly went to how "difficult" ATC makes it to get clearance through C and D at Coffs, "forcing" pilots over tiger country.
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Looking at some discussion on Facebook on this, and the conversation pretty quickly went to how "difficult" ATC makes it to get clearance through C and D at Coffs, "forcing" pilots over tiger country.
I wonder if this is Bindooks “ giant roadblock airspace”
again.
Was the pilot attempting to keep out of the C airspace?
Most pilots would prefer to fly coastal if the road block was not there!
I have met pilots who don’t have the confidence to request and comply with a clearance through C!
again.
Was the pilot attempting to keep out of the C airspace?
Most pilots would prefer to fly coastal if the road block was not there!
I have met pilots who don’t have the confidence to request and comply with a clearance through C!
Come On. Aren’t we supposed to learn from such accidents?
Airservices have a ministerial directive to provide a terminal radar service in C over D. They ignore it at their peril.
Airservices have a ministerial directive to provide a terminal radar service in C over D. They ignore it at their peril.
I have been through Coffs Harbour control area at least 100 times, never had anything but polite and courteous controllers happy to do anything they could.
Probably 10 of these transits were in a 50 knot 2 stroke ultralight aircraft.....
Just tell them what you are flying, where you are, what you want to do and where you are going. They will lead you step-by-step through the entire transit knowing that it is much safer for you to pass on by them to go inland. Many other times I transited in much faster aircraft but with the same hospitality expressed including a couple of times strong recommendations from the tower do not continue, land and have a coffee for a few hours break and wait for the weather to clear.
I adamantly say that their local knowledge and advice saved my life once when I wanted to push on thinking I knew better and they told me you will only get a few minutes past the airport and made a wall of water and they were right. You cannot beat local knowledge (and a weather radar before we had them on iPads).
I am happy to tell anyone this, no matter how little experience you have, there is nothing wrong or to be scared of contacting these guys, they are more than happy to help you at any time.
Probably 10 of these transits were in a 50 knot 2 stroke ultralight aircraft.....
Just tell them what you are flying, where you are, what you want to do and where you are going. They will lead you step-by-step through the entire transit knowing that it is much safer for you to pass on by them to go inland. Many other times I transited in much faster aircraft but with the same hospitality expressed including a couple of times strong recommendations from the tower do not continue, land and have a coffee for a few hours break and wait for the weather to clear.
I adamantly say that their local knowledge and advice saved my life once when I wanted to push on thinking I knew better and they told me you will only get a few minutes past the airport and made a wall of water and they were right. You cannot beat local knowledge (and a weather radar before we had them on iPads).
I am happy to tell anyone this, no matter how little experience you have, there is nothing wrong or to be scared of contacting these guys, they are more than happy to help you at any time.
I have been through Coffs Harbour control area at least 100 times, never had anything but polite and courteous controllers happy to do anything they could.
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Aren’t we supposed to learn from such accidents?
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There but for luck, His grace or any number of reasons, most of us were fortunate.
Right now all that is actually known is that a family has likely lost both a father and a son.
Right now all that is actually known is that a family has likely lost both a father and a son.
Back in the ultralight days there was no flight plans, just hook it along at 1,000 coastal then go inland around the steps with a few hundred feet clearance on the hills. When the cloud was too low or the banana crops were high then it was impossible and you would have to either ask permission or turn back, but you could make this decision pretty easily flying at 50 kn, usually with a 20 kn headwind so you have plenty of time to evaluate what you were doing and plenty of time to prepare to key the old ICOM handheld and request clearance.
Fast track to more modern times and you just contact Brisbane Centre 50 miles north or south and request a clearance at your desired altitude and yjey turn you onto the tower when you get closer. Really easy and everyone is accommodating.
I have never really tried flying over at higher than 5000 because usually there is cloud on the coast and you fly coastal for the view....
Fantastic trip from Wollongong through Victor one, up through Coffs and to the Gold Coast. In my opinion when the weather is great it is one of the best trips you can do.