VH UXG Dragon final report

[Guest bluespot]

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2012/aair/ao-2012-130.aspx

[facthunter]

Thanks bluespot. Nev

 

 

[astroman]

Had a read of this the other night... I didn't realise that he struggled on for so long! Why he took off that day will remain a mystery...

 

 

[turboplanner]

A lot of others took off too. I had a quick look a few months ago and it looked as if a more coastal route, which some took, could have been below cloud level. The inevitable result may have started in the preflight planning.

 

 

[metalman]

I had mates at the same flyin, came home a slightly different route with no problems, bugger must've been exhausted hand flying the old bird in IMC for so long ,

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

The thing that got to me was that the aircraft was fitted for (but for this flight not with) a mapping GPS......I wonder how much that would have helped.........I also noted that a beacon with an onboard GPS would have made life a lot easier for all involved........in this case a saving of a few $ at purchase time cost the taxpayers $m in SAR costs...

 

That said my Beacon isn't fitted with a GPS...not because I didn't want one but when the "compulsory change over time" came I couldn't buy one with GPS for love nor money....maybe it should be a happy Christmas to me action..... keep the old one to put around a passengers neck in the event of going 2 up....

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

I took off that day from Monto with two others, and headed North to Emu park. We did encounter some weather enroute, but nothing we couldn't handle, and it improved the further north we went. We were over much flatter country, and always had good alternate options.

 

Many who also left that day went straight east to the coast, then South, and others went west toward good weather, and flatter country. I heard many say later that the further south they got the worst the WX became. I believe that all who left that day were very aware of the area of bad weather, as it was well discussed amoungst pilots on the ground at Monto.

 

The Dragon pilot had been busy all weekend flying rides, so I imagine his choice of taking a direct route across unkind country may have been encouraged by his, or his passengers urge to get home. I'm sure he knew there was WX enroute, but obviously he underestimated the severity of it, had to stay below for visibility, and ran out of options after getting caught in a Valley.

 

A very sad loss indeed, but a real good example of how any good pilot, can very quickly get boxed into a corner by unkind and unforgiving weather, after making one or more bad decisions.....................Maj.....

 

 

[metalman]

Flying can be unforgiving of mistakes, when I look at some of these accident I realise the pilot was basically a dead man walking long before the accident, when we put a particular goal into motion we may have already killed ourselves without realising it. On a recent trip one of the other pilots started to get concerned about getting home for a meeting because the WX was deteriorating , I've not done this before but I liked the bloke, I stopped him talking and explained that his attitude could mean he was already dead and just hadn't arrived at the crash site yet, in this instance he was wise enough to know I wasn't been a smart ar5e ,and he changed his attitude, changed his appointment and possibly his longevity .

 

I've always tried to go by a rule of three when flying, if three things don't go just how I think they should I go home, it could be an issue with the plane + marginal WX enroute + a late departure , I'm a PPL , I don't have to be anywhere that importantly

 

Matty