Light Aircraft mayday Moreton Island
There has been a serial pest up here doing fake mayday calls for a few years, some going for more than 30 minutes with ATC. Lets hope its him again and not a real plane. fingers crossed.
Daylight and 2 copters out searching. One on ocean side of Moreton Island just going up and down the beach over and over ? must see something i guess
Last edited by mcoates; 22nd Jan 2020 at 19:03.
I understand they found debris SE of Cape Moreton late last night, certainly the Challenger was orbiting about a point there. They then expanded the search South, down current. I imagine Rescue 500 is looking for more bits down at the southern end of the island.
This strikes me as a slightly odd one. Had it been a simple engine failure beyond gliding distance of land, I'd have expected a bit more than the terse, but certainly not panicked Mayday issued by the pilot. I know I'd want to let atc know exactly what was happening in the hope that someone would come fish me out of Moreton Bay asap. At usual bay crossing height, they would have had several minutes glide time to get the message out. I guess the apparent high speed impact could be put down to a ditching gone awry, but even that seems like a stretch, other Cessna singles that have gone in (eg. off Byron and Storm Bay) haven't disintergrated to the extent that this one is supposed to have.
Last edited by spinex; 29th Jan 2020 at 06:28. Reason: correcting location
You‘re not wrong in your observations. A ditching would have had to go horribly wrong to scatter pieces all over the ocean.
I had a look on the radar and there were showers and low cloud in the area looking at the Jacobs Well weather cameras showed low vis. Perhaps he just got lost in the mist and hit the water ?
They have given a lot of resources for recovery with nothing of substance found so far ?
A wheel ? It takes a lot of force to tear a wheel from a plane so it can float o the ocean.
They have given a lot of resources for recovery with nothing of substance found so far ?
A wheel ? It takes a lot of force to tear a wheel from a plane so it can float o the ocean.
Shocker tides in that area.
The diver chap that got taken by a shark up north, had his leg found 750 kms away only 3 weeks later. Amazing that anything could travel that far by tides.
The diver chap that got taken by a shark up north, had his leg found 750 kms away only 3 weeks later. Amazing that anything could travel that far by tides.
Wreckage found
I see QPS have located the main wreckage more or less where they expected, NNE of the island. No bodies there though.
Michael's wx scenario makes the most sense so far, although if I read the time correctly, the radar didn't look bad. On an unrelated note, I see that another Cessna, a 206 went for a swim in Qld waters today. This time off Fraser, 2 POB, both fine if a little damp.
Michael's wx scenario makes the most sense so far, although if I read the time correctly, the radar didn't look bad. On an unrelated note, I see that another Cessna, a 206 went for a swim in Qld waters today. This time off Fraser, 2 POB, both fine if a little damp.
ATSB have the mayday logged at 16:26 on Wed 22/01 which meshes with the media reports of "about 4.30pm", both presumably AEST. I know mention was made elsewhere of heavy rain on the radar loop, but the person posting referred to Tuesday's loop, not Wednsday, so I'm none the wiser.
There was no visible cloud on the Redcliffe camera that looks in that direction.
Reports said it was very humid though.
Reports said it was very humid though.
There’s a few subtle clues in there including the fact that the engine appeared to not have suffered a catastrophic failure.
If feels like all that is left is:
- Probability of carby icing
- Fuel
- Pilot incapacitation (which seems unlikely given the mayday call)
It feels like we may never know.
If feels like all that is left is:
- Probability of carby icing
- Fuel
- Pilot incapacitation (which seems unlikely given the mayday call)
It feels like we may never know.
