Breaking News - Reported light aircraft crash North of Perth

[onetrack]

A witness has reported to Police and Fire and Emergency Services, that he sighted a light aircraft flying, then lose power and appear to crash. However, neither the aircraft, nor the crash site, has been found yet.

 

The reported crash site is near Clarke Rd in Neergabby. Updates to come.

 

Perth Now - Report of light aircraft crash N of Perth

 

 

[onetrack]

Well, the good news is - the reported "aircraft crash" didn't happen. A pilot has reported to the JRCC, that he was practising "forced landing manoeuvres" in the area, with a Piper Warrior, at the exact time of the "crash", this afternoon. 

 

It was over 41 degrees here today, and I'll wager a lot of emergency people, Police and other authorities are more than a little cheesed off at putting in so much search effort, for nought, on what has been an extreme day, weather-wise.

 

Reported "aircraft crash" N of Perth, has been unfounded

 

 

[facthunter]

It's the Law that any person who sees an occurrence affecting the safety of aircraft or aircraft operations REPORT it to a responsible authority.. One cannot assume it's always somebody practicing some maneuver..  IF it had actually been a crash I'm sure the Pilot would have appreciated it being reported. Nev

 

 

[farri]

To report or not report?

 

A while back a fairly noisy aircraft heading south flew over home here! when it got a few klm past I was absolutely sure in my mind that I heard the engine stop. Due to it`s direction and altitude, I reckoned it would come down somewhere around Babinda so I phoned the Babinda police and told the lady who answered that I thought an aircraft had, had an engine failure and could possibly come down in that area! She very sarcastically told me that they would keep an eye out for it. It turned out no aircraft came down and I felt a bit of a dill but I was satisfied I`d done what I thought was the right thing at the time.

 

This also happened a few years ago.

 

It was around midnight and I`d just got to bed when I heard a vehicle go past the house and go down to the Drifter shed then come back and stop at the house! by this time I`d got up to see what was going on and it was a police car! a big cop came to the door and asked if I`d just been flying and I told him that I hadn`t and that in any case, it wasn`t legal for Ultralights to fly at night! he told me that two paramedics in an ambulance were driving north to Cairns and at around 11 pm they reported seeing what they thought was an aircraft`s light, come down in our area

 

About an hour after the cop left, a helicopter with a huge search light below it, that lit the area almost like day, turned up and flew a search pattern from Babinda to Deeral until the sun rose...No aircraft had gone down.

 

Franco.

 

 

[spacesailor]

Even when an aircraft Is missing, some of the public are often ignored, or told to pull their head in.

 

The aircraft In the film ( The Riddle of the Stinson ) was heard passing over people's homes, & they were ignored as the Authorities knew the plane flew near the coast.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[poteroo]

This incident should have been nipped-in-the-bud had the SAR 'report' been shared immediately with Perth Radar, or Melbourne Centre. Perhaps the initial 'SAR report' was to Channel 7, 9, 10, or ABC?  or even more likely - on social media of one sort or another?

 

The Warrior would have been squawking 1200, and probably was on Perth Radar frequency? As it was only just past 36nm Perth, it would presumably been clearly visible to Perth Radar? Surely so? All it would have taken was one press on a mic and it could have been resolved in minutes.

 

Its' location was interesting too. It was inside R155B, but outside R155A - part of RAAF Pearce airspace, but only when active. At 1330 on a Saturday, our nations' defence capability is on stand down. So, the Warrior was perfectly at liberty to conduct PFLs in this airspace. Why you'd be doing this in that location is unknown, because it's well away from any 'official' training area, and is within a region notable for small holdings and having many horses and stock in paddocks.

 

 What might be up for discussion is whether the practice was allowed to descend to, or even below 500 agl, and whether the aircraft tracked over dwellings. The lower the aircraft is allowed to descend in these exercises, the more 'alarming' is the event to the general public. This especially so in timbered country where it disappears from view of the ground observer. Another 20nm further north and you are in more open country with larger paddocks and far less horses.

 

Just a few musings.  happy days.