Thread: aeroplane crash

Originally Posted by 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. 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

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.

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

Take care.