Pilot of a missing light airplane had been fundraising for charity before his craft carrying five people vanished in southeastern Queensland.
Des Porter, 68, was giving scenic flights in his prized red 1930s biplane at an airshow in central Queensland this morning, according to the organiser of the Monto Fly-In.
Mr Porter is one of six people on board the 1930s de Havilland DH84 which left the town of Monto, 180km west of Bundaberg, shortly after 11am (AEST).
It's believed the other passengers were two elderly couples and Mr Porter's partner.
The plane had been due to arrive at Caboolture Airport, north of Brisbane, about 2.15pm (AEST), but never arrived.
A distress call from Mr Porter shortly after 1pm was picked up by a Nine Network helicopter pilot.
Mr Porter said he was having difficulty positioning himself and wanted assistance, the helicopter pilot said.
The aircraft's emergency beacon was activated at about 2.45pm (AEST), according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
Police and Australian Search and Rescue are coordinating an air and land search which is west of the Imbil area and about 70km north of Caboolture.
Two helicopters conducted fly-overs of the search zone on Monday afternoon but found no sign of the missing airplane or its occupants.
A spokeswoman for AMSA says search conditions were "not ideal", with low and thick cloud blanketing the area.
A dedicated night rescue aircraft with electronic search capabilities including infra-red and heat-sensing technology will continue searching overnight.
Planning is underway for a full-scale search tomorrow morning, which will include more aircraft - both helicopters and fixed wing - and possibly people on foot.
Monto Fly-In organiser Myles Breitkreutz said Mr Porter was a highly experienced pilot.
He last saw his airplane taxiing from the airstrip, 180km west of Bundaberg, shortly after 11am (AEST).
The aviator said he'd invited Mr Porter to the airshow and felt terrible, but wasn't giving up hope his friend was safe.
"I know the capabilities of Des as a pilot and we've got our thoughts and hopes that he's made an emergency landing in a paddock and waiting for weather to clear and everything's cool," he said.
Helping the Royal Flying Doctor Service and other people was Mr Porter's "passion and his life", Mr Breitkreutz said.
The six missing had been part of large number of aviation enthusiasts who descended on the small town of Monto for the weekend airshow.
Simone Ryan, from Monto's Three Moon Motel, said the motel was booked out for the entire weekend with many of the organisers of the airshow staying there.
"The people who were with that plane stayed here," she said told AAP.
"It's terrible, they were absolutely lovely people."
Mr Porter survived a fatal crash in the same model airplane which claimed the lives of his father and brother in the 1950s.
He was 10 when the plane flown by his father went down in a creek in Brisbane's south in 1954.
| Plane missing in Queensland with six people on board The Australian THE pilot of a missing light airplane had been fundraising for charity before his craft carrying five people vanished in southeastern Queensland. Des Porter, 68, was giving scenic flights in his prized red 1930s biplane at an airshow in central ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| ||
| Crash of ultralight airplane in Rowan County kills pilot The Republic GRANITE QUARRY, N.C. — One person has died after an ultralight airplane crashed in Rowan County. The plane came down shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday near Granite Quarry. County emergency services chief Frank Thomason says the pilot was the only ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| ||
| Roller-Coaster Ride At 6000 Meters A Research In Weightlessness Manila Bulletin Captain Stephane Pichene raises the nose of the Airbus airplane and the passengers feel double their actual weight for about 20 seconds. Then comes the announcement: ''Injection''. Within seconds, the passengers become weightless. There is no more up ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| Johnny Can Read, But He Can't Land AVweb (blog) Landing an airplane might not be particularly difficult, but doing it well consistently—especially in gusty conditions—isn't easy. Year after year, this is reflected in the NTSB database. The leading type of accident for most aircraft is what we call ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| Orioles' plane diverted because of smoke in galley The Seattle Times Orioles' plane diverted because of smoke in galley. The airplane taking the Baltimore Orioles to St. Petersburg, Fla. on Sunday night had its flight diverted to Jacksonville because of smoke in the forward galley. By BEN WALKER. AP Baseball Writer ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| Plane 'missing' with six on board Sky News Australia Authorities are searching for a light airplane with six people on board that's missing in southeast Queensland. The ABC says the Australian Maritime Safety Authority has sent two helicopters to an area on the Sunshine Coast. The maritime authority is ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| B-25 Bomber Brings History To Billard Airport WIBW Pilot David Baker said, "It's a piece of history, and with the 28 years of restoration that this airplaneunderwent and the tribute we try to place upon the heroes of the wwii era, the local people have really come out and embraced it." October 1st is ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
|
No comments:
Post a Comment