Airvan missing in Arnhem Land
 

Just saw this news item, hope the pilot is OK.

Search continues for missing plane in Arnhem Land - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Debris found..

Debris found in search for missing plane | The Australian

Thoughts and prayers are going out for the pilot, his family, and the company.

Hopefully they'll find him sitting on a beach somewhere in the bay.

Doesn't look good. My thoughts and hopes go out to the pilots friends family and colleagues.

Bugger!:sad:

Seems to be a few scarecans lately getting bent, for such a docile Aeroplane it makes you wonder!

Not the place i want to be taking a paddle, although if your going to spear one in, a scarecan is the one you will most likely survive in!

:sad: thoughts go out to his family. hopefully they find him, alive.

does seem that a few squarecans are getting bent as of late

There was a broadcast on Channel 16 (Marine) this afternoon with search area information and request for any vessel to report in sightings of debree

Water World is not too kind for people to be in it up this way :(

Guess the Dornier's are out combing the area ?! Could deploy two I suppose between Darwin one and Cairns one

Smoothie

Alser
 

I think there are 2 Ausar aircraft out, as well as 3 choppers. Stuff reported as found so far does not include broken bits of airframe, so there is hope!

I heard they have recovered jerry cans and a nose wheel washed up on the coast. Doesn't bode well :(

Very sad.

Does anyone know about the weather that was around there at that time?

Any ideas whether it may be mechanical related, or did the poor fellow find himself in a thunderie.........

My thoughts go out to his family and workmates

Alser
 

Wx was apparently good there yesterday. It's a mystery!

For anyone in the know:

According to reports he/she was transporting petrol (maybe diesel out that way). I assume that MAF operates most flights as PVT, is this correct? If so how is DG handled? If not do they have a standard DG acceptance program? Is it common for MAF to do fuel deliveries?

I am not a journo (check my history of posts) so if you worry about what some in the press may say (not that the press should take much notice of that topic) please feel free to PM me.

FRQ CB

I know the pilot's sister, and I have a good mate working for MAF in Arnhem Land at the moment. Really bad news.

FRQ Charlie Bravo:

- MAF don't operate any flights as private, all pilots are CPL or ATPL and all operations whether it be Medivac, cargo transport, passenger flights are chartered and paid for, albeit on a not for profit basis. It's not some backyard operator.

- It's fairly common for MAF to do fuel deliveries, especially in Arnhem Land where the distances are wide and most roads are poor, turning to impassable in the wet season. Heavy falls have come early this year too. It could be diesel or AVGAS for one of MAF's outstations or for a settlement. It's a massive area they cover.

- All MAF pilots are DG compliant and MAF are authorised to carry DGs cargo.

FRQ CB

My understanding, from a former MAF pilot, is that they carry only diesel and only in the cargo pods.

SOP is to overfly water at a height so as to be able to glide to the coast in the event of an engine failure and not to track over water until such a height has been attained.

He was at a loss to explain how, short of catastrophic failure, the crash could have happened.

Without wishing to put the mockers on the attempt to locate the pilot it would appear to be yet another sad day in aviation and my sympathies are with his colleagues and family.

Alser
 

With never going out of gliding range, it makes no sense that no mayday was heard....should have had time if he had got to 4500. Catastrophic failure sounds possible, but maybe there would be more airframe pieces to find then?

The options are endless really, explosion, structural failure, skylarking, suicide, severe bird strike or just being plain unlucky in some way or another.

I would suggest waiting another year until the ATSB sort it out before asking why.

Looks like they've suspended the search.:(

Looks like they've started again, but if he's been in the water this long then it really doesn't look good at all. Very sad piece of news.

From the ABC

So why don't you do as you suggest and leave it be, instead of throwing out options three and four there. I was lucky enough to have met Hadleigh a number of times, and I am fairly familiar with his aviation and personal background. I would be extraordinarily surprised if either of those were an explanation, and I think to even suggest it without one ounce of evidence is grossly insulting. Honestly, how crass... :rolleyes:

Hadleigh, I hope to goodness that you are sitting on an island somewhere waiting to be rescued. Everyone down here does. God be with you mate.

TT

It would be geat to have this guy show up, the cops are stepping up the search so it seems, fingers xrossed. On a side note I don't know about everybody else but i carry a personal EPIRB with me on every flight, have done so for years. Obviously if it was a structual failure a self activated EPIRB won't help but the more marbles I have in my marble bag the more I can afford to loose!:ok:



CW:)

Its a bit saddening today to find out it was young Hadleigh, as he was one of our old students.. and a top bloke! just hope he is sitting on a beachdigging into some fresh Barra waiting for a rescue!
:(

Totally agree with TwoTango. Hadleigh and I were good buddies, we've spend a few years together in an Aviation course back in 2002. He is a top bloke who has achieved academic grading with his studies and has a positive attitude towards his flying dream. Let just show a bit of respect to him and his family and stop guessing, like most others had said, no other weackage has been found yet, just hoping Hadleigh is sitting at the beach waiting to be save. Hope God will keep his eye on this excellant young fellow, give him calm weather/water, protect him until he is found. :(

TwoTango and JAU813, may I suggest that your closeness to the pilot has blinded you to what n_n actually wrote.

He suggested that people stop any speculation as to the cause of the crash. If you took offence at what he wrote why did you both quote, and effectively republish, the offending passage?

Despite that, I heard today some very disquietning information concerning what appears to be a problem with the aircraft type. I have suggested that this information be passed on to the ATSB. If true, it makes it imperative that the wreckage be found as it will answer a lot of questions as to the cause of the crash.

plovett since this is a rumour network, would you care to share what you have "heard' about this type off aircraft? or just let the boys and girls fly them unaware off the "problem?"

What a load of crap PLOVETT. Your comments are bordering on something that could involve legal ramifications. Tread carefully considering representatives from the manufacturer frequent this forum.

VH-XXX

I am well aware of what I am saying as is the manufacturer as they were the original source of the information. So instead of immediately dismissing my post, which was very carefully considered, you may care to question your own response.

gadude,

Despite this being a rumour network my information is second-hand (although originally from the manufacturer) so I am not prepared to publish. The proper avenue is the ATSB who are investigating this crash.

So, Plovett,

We assume the ATSB is now aware of this "issue"?

Alser :confused:

If the factory was the original source of the 'information' that you have, please post it here, because then it would be gospel.

If it didn't come from the factory officially then I stand by my previous post and you may be opening yourself up for action.

What you've suggested is that all Airvan operators need to effectively ground their aircraft immediately because a condition exists where the aircraft may crash / fall out of the sky, but the ATSB knows about it? Surely CASA would distribute such information?

As for the wreckage answering a lot of questions, that is indeed true, however don't hold your breath if a wheel has been found because there may be very little left of it.

Mr PeeLover is probably referring to some props snapping off Airvans. I'd heard of a couple of props had left their respective aircraft so to speak but didn't hear it from the factory. I'd be a stretch to suggest that this caused this crash, but then again you never know, we'll just have to wait and see.

StickWithTheTruth,

If your intent was to belittle yourself by being rude, you were successful. If you were trying to offend me, you need a lot more practice.

I heard through the grapevine that the Airvan that crashed in Kakadu earlier in the year had both the mechanical and the electric fuel pump fail, does anyone know anything about this incident? the pilot was ok thankfully!

Some of the early scarecans had problems with the wing spar not being sealed correctly which ran through the integral fuel tanks. Over time the fuel filters could become blocked from the gravity fed tanks. You then have 11 minutes of burning fuel in the sump until she goes silent. The low fuel lights will both illuminate, along with the low sump fuel light, however if you know how much fuel was onboard from the last dip and verify with near full fuel or gauge readings appropriate for how much you believe should be available, you could be lured into ignoring the problem as an electrical gremlin. Before i started flying the can, i was briefed on the problem by the chief pilot and what to do immediately after such symptoms present themselves. Basically the story is to reduce power to best endurance and land asap!

I hope this was not the cause of the apparent ditching by poor Hads

Does anyone know what build number the Airvan was?

ATSB has the serial number as GA8-01-005

ATSB Link

Number 5 off the line then.

Thoughts and prayers are with Hads, as i said before if you were going to spear in, the Airvan is the one you may walk away from.

Hope to hear good news soon, on a side note i was impressed with the messages and updates on the MAF website and a direct contact number to the CEO, must be a trying time for his fellow aviators and company personal.

I had the pleasure of flying a couple of Airvan's in the NT, infact the Kakadu one only weeks before and thought they were great! sad to hear of problems, apparently Gippsland bought the rights to the Nomad so that will be an interesting development!

Unfortunately with more than a week gone now, it looks fairly certain that Hadleigh hasn't survived. This is the latest statement from MAF:

TT

a service for Hadleigh Smith will be held Monday 27th October at 10 am.
Gymea Peoples Church, 166 Gymea Bay Rd, Gymea.
He was a good young bloke. Loved his flying and the All Blacks.
Had served Australia in the Army Reserve as a digger. RIP mate

Plane found
 

Just saw this on the ABC News

Resting With his Lord
 

Being familiar to MAF's Ops and having done the very Charter Hadleigh was doing there. I can say that:
1. They could cary up to 3 200 Ltr drums of Diesel or Avgas in back of Cessna's. They drums are held in place with Chocks and locked down with camlock straps.
2. It could be a little disconcerting as the drums expanded and contracted.
3. There was always a bit of a deep down question when doing these flights of 'I hope the straps hold' If they failed and a drum, then drums would roll and the CofG would go go right out and one would need reversing mirrors to guide the aircraft down to its fate.
4. The likely hood of this happening was low or we would not have done it.
5. All flights were CHTR and all pilots and ground staff were current with DG at all times.


Sonar has apparently located the wreck 15 klm from elcho Island, and 2 Ks off shore in Buckingham Bay. divers were hoping to dive on the site and attempt a recovery.

Efforts underway to recover aircraft fuselage http://www.maf.org.au/images/M_images/printButton.pnghttp://www.maf.org.au/images/M_images/emailButton.png Thursday, 06 November 2008 Efforts are underway today (Thursday November 6) to confirm the identity of an aircraft fuselage discovered in Arnhem Land's Buckingham Bay.

Searchers suspect the wreckage could be that of a Mission Aviation Fellowship GA8 Airvan, piloted by 23-year-old Hadleigh Smith, who went missing on October 16.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 November 2008 )

VH-WRT. Fuel is normally carried in 20l jerry cans in AL. The GA8 can carry 6 or so in the pod, + heaps in the cabin. GA have a very good cargo net system. Usually avgas would be kept in the pod, and diesel in the cabin.