aeroplane crash

[harry]

ok, a lot of you know i am an aircraft engineer, for those that don't , well now you know.
i put up another thread notifying of the crash on the gold coast.
i am now able to say a bit more.
friday afternoon 7th march my partner/mate and his passenger were killed in an accident where the aircraft entered the water off the coast.
we have now found the wreck and the bodies are now out of the water.
friends of the occupants mounted a search monday and again, without police knowledge, today and found the wreckage with the bodies still in it. --- the police were not going to go out until friday ---
it is a small bit of relief for the relatives and friends.
and a sad thing that the officials are handcuffed by regulations and funding.
i do wish to thank the water police here for their efforts, as they have worked tirelessly in extreme conditions.
however it is sad to see that the assistance of others appears to have been ignored when within minutes there was a helicopter over the site which pinpointed with gps fixes two targets of major interest which were not dived on. which are the fixes the people used today.
sure nothing would have brought them back, and the risk to others diving to find dead people and not wanting to lose another life chasing dead people is paramount, but this could have all been easier on the families if the cops had got in the water friday arvo when it happened.
ok, that's my grump and fact telling over, there is a lot more i know and our aviation 'family' know, but i would tire as i am not a typist.
i do thank the police for thier efforts.
and peter gash and his dive buddies for having the conviction to go out there twice and find them.

[Outlaw]

Saw on the news tonight that the divers had found your friends... as you have said, will not bring them back but now at least in a small way their families and you their friends can rest a little easier knowing that they are found.

Am truly sorry again Harry. Always around if you need a chat or a beer.

Josh

[WhiteD3]

Sorry for your loss Harry. Its little or no comfort but at least he went doing something he loved.

[Scallops]

Very sorry to hear this, Harry. :(

[MickG]

Very sorry Harry, at least now they are found so family and friends can have some kind of closure on that aspect.

Let me know if you need anything, beer, chat anything.

Mick & family

[Camo]

Hope everything works out in time Harry..sad that nothing can ever bring them back :(

really keen to know what actually caused the accident..guessing maybe a bird strike?? can't imagine a structural failure cruising at 1500 feet in controlled airspace ;)

should all catchup for beer soon

Camo

[strangy]

Condolences mate, know the feeling myself. Well done to those who searched and found. Hope time brings some answers and healing.

[JohnF]

Sorry to here about that crash harry. Occasionally, mainly on wednesdays you may see my RR at Coolongatta airport when I will be watching planes. If you see my white RR ROV424 or my blue one, come up and say hello, John.

[Utemad]

Here is some recognition for your friends efforts.

Plane crash victims found dead
March 13, 2008 - 6:10AM

Police have located a wrecked ultralight which crashed with two people on board off the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast pilot Garry Sweetnam, 49, and passenger Andrew Mitchell, 33, of Murwillumbah in northern NSW, were in a twin-seater craft which plunged into the ocean 500 metres off Narrowneck beach, at Surfers Paradise, on Friday.
The search for the wreckage was hampered by adverse sea conditions.
Gold Coast Water Police Acting Inspector Barry Day yesterday said the crash site had finally been located with the help of special cameras loaned from the nearby Griffith University.

But he said some friends of Mr Sweetnam's had beaten police to the punch, making their way to the scene yesterday and confirming the wreckage was there.

"Some private divers, who are friends of the family, went out to the location and dived on the site prior to the water police divers arriving and were fortunate enough to locate the aircraft,'' Insp Day told reporters on the Gold Coast.

"The private divers who went down to the aircraft did confirm to us that there were still two people with the wreckage and they are still seatbelted into the aircraft.''

Insp Day said the immediate priority for police was to recover the bodies before launching an investigation on what went wrong with the flight.

Broken pieces from the plane's windscreen and fuselage were found on the roof of the Southport Surf Life Saving Club, Southport Yacht Club and the beach, indicating problems had occurred mid-flight.

Insp Day said the support from the local community had been overwhelming.

"We have had requests from every facet of the community wanting to go out there and dive on the site,'' he said.

"These friends have decided to brave two-metre seas today and went down and it's an absolute amazement to us that these people had such great support in the community.''
AAP
Plane crash victims found dead - Queensland - BrisbaneTimes (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/plane-crash-victims-found-dead/2008/03/12/1205125991918.html)

[stevo68]

Hey mate, yep saw that they had been found. Anyway don't forget there is still over 1/2 case of beer in the fridge from Saturday, so always welcome to pop around for a few,

Regards

Stevo

[harry]

Here is some recognition for your friends efforts.

Plane crash victims found dead
March 13, 2008 - 6:10AM

Police have located a wrecked ultralight which crashed with two people on board off the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast pilot Garry Sweetnam, 49, and passenger Andrew Mitchell, 33, of Murwillumbah in northern NSW, were in a twin-seater craft which plunged into the ocean 500 metres off Narrowneck beach, at Surfers Paradise, on Friday.
The search for the wreckage was hampered by adverse sea conditions.
Gold Coast Water Police Acting Inspector Barry Day yesterday said the crash site had finally been located with the help of special cameras loaned from the nearby Griffith University. hmm, not quite true!!!!!!!!!!!!

But he said some friends of Mr Sweetnam's had beaten police to the punch, making their way to the scene yesterday and confirming the wreckage was there.

"Some private divers, who are friends of the family, went out to the location and dived on the site prior to the water police divers arriving and were fortunate enough to locate the aircraft,'' Insp Day told reporters on the Gold Coast.

"The private divers who went down to the aircraft did confirm to us that there were still two people with the wreckage and they are still seatbelted into the aircraft.''

Insp Day said the immediate priority for police was to recover the bodies before launching an investigation on what went wrong with the flight.

Broken pieces from the plane's windscreen and fuselage were found on the roof of the Southport Surf Life Saving Club, Southport Yacht Club and the beach, indicating problems had occurred mid-flight.

Insp Day said the support from the local community had been overwhelming.

"We have had requests from every facet of the community wanting to go out there and dive on the site,'' he said.

"These friends have decided to brave two-metre seas today and went down and it's an absolute amazement to us that these people had such great support in the community.''
AAP
Plane crash victims found dead - Queensland - BrisbaneTimes (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/plane-crash-victims-found-dead/2008/03/12/1205125991918.html)

thanks for posting that report.
unfortunatly the cops got it wrong.
they did not have the wreck found at all. their sonar and borrowed camera did not find the wreck.they didn't even have the camera!
and our mates went out using the helicopters 'fixes'.
doesn't help much, suffice to say the cops did work hard.
but we friends thought otherwise and one of our 'family' had the resources to try something, which got a result.
for god's sake please give the cops more resources and the ability to spend money when there is the need.
i firmly believe that had the water police not had their hands tied by 'work place health and safety' and an inability to reign in professional dive people due to funding, and a dislike of the helicopter pilot, this would not have dragged out so long.
i know more, but don't have fingers long enough to type it.

[WhiteD3]

By the by my wife and I knew Barry Day from a teenager to his early years in the force and he always struck me as a good bloke who took his job very seriously.

[harry]

i have no problems with barry, seemed like a good bloke determined to solve this problem, but the press cannot be trusted with accurate reporting also.

[bolts]

Sorry for your loss Harry - at least friends and family can have a closure although it wont be easy.

Take care.