Police appeal following plane crash - Mungindi

[Guest Fred Bear]

10 December 2006

 

Police are seeking public assistance following a fatal light plane crash at Mungindi in the state’s west overnight.

 

At 10pm police from Barwon Local Area Command were called to the scene after receiving reports of the incident.

 

It’s believed the pilot of the Air Tractor 802 crop duster was flying the in the Mungindi area when he allegedly lost control of the aircraft and crashed into nearby bushland. He was the only one onboard at the time.

 

Police arrived to find the 45-year-old Wee Waa man deceased at the scene. Tamworth Crime Scene personnel attended and conducted investigations.

 

A report will be prepared for the information of the Coroner. Inquiries are continuing.

 

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information that may assist with investigations, is urged to contact Moree Police Station on 02 6752-9499 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

The news web sites really annoy me sometimes. Check this out:

 

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20902883-1702,00.html

 

They ought to get it right. Since when is an air tractor an ultralight? I think I will write to them and have them correct it.

 

 

[Student Pilot]

Last night was pretty dark till the moon came up around midnight, when the accident happened it would have been very dark. Up Mungindi way there's not much background light from places like Moree so it gets pretty hard work finding a horizon when turning. I think the cotton season has been pretty quiet so far this year so I doubt fatigue would have come into it.

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Loss of control in the dark makes sense. I thought these guys were day VFR only???

 

 

[Student Pilot]

Loss of control in the dark makes sense. I thought these guys were day VFR only???

Nope, lot's of work done at night just with ASI, T+B and Altitude. It's good work mostly but can be very hard work on a dark night, wasn't too bad before GPS days because markers with torches used to give some indication of approach angle back into the paddock after a turn.

 

You have usuallyhave an800 watt light under each wing and 2 200 watters on the nose to light things up when your actually on the spray run. They used to use lights on the tip of wing facing outward to the ground in a turn but nobody seems to use them these days, you get adjusted to the dark horizon after pulling up from the spray run then turning your working lights off.

 

Working GPS has made it easier in some ways and higher workload in others. The biggest problem with cotton work used to be fatigue because of the hours flown and broken shifts due to weather and other variables, don't know what it's like these days.

 

 

[Guest Fred Bear]

Thanks for the info. Was not aware of these night ops. You learn something new every day. Would make sense, esp Far North QLD in the hotter temps.

 

 

[jcamp]

IIRC the night bit has to do with the bugs (a technical term for creepy crawlies). Apparently they are under cover during the day and spraying at night means that less whatever has to be used.

 

 

[Student Pilot]

Night and day spray rates are the same, the chemical used changes at times to do with resistance. With the chemical change comes different rates. Early on in the season ULV is used (less now days) then a higher total application rate as the plant cover increases.

 

Some areas spray at night and some don't.

 

 

[Ben Longden]

As a kid, I used to work as a flagman for a crop spray company during the holidays.

 

We would start at 7pm and go till 7am, with a break around three.

 

With the daytime temp in the low 40s, the reason given was the spray would rise and not settle on the plants, whereas at night in the "cool" of 32 degrees it would swirl around the plant and stay there before evaporating and rising with the thermals.

 

At night the sight was awsome.. no wonder there were so many UFO reports made! The pilot would use the main landing light for the spray pass, then on the turns, he would use two lights on the wingtip, to light the ground.

 

Ben