Preliminary Report Released on the Crash of De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG

From:  http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/

A vintage plane still had fuel in its tanks after it crashed in Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterland last month, killing six people, a preliminary report into the tragedy has found.

The restored 1934 De Havilland Dragon crashed on Monday 1 October, killing pilot Des Porter, 68, his wife Kath, 61, Les D'evlin, 75, his wife Janice, 61, and John and Carol Dawson, both 63.

The preliminary report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found the aircraft struck trees and the ground at a moderate to high speed as it was banking to the left.

Both fuel tanks ruptured and while there was evidence fuel had drained from the left-hand tank, about seven litres of Avgas remained in the right fuel tank.

"The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces. There was no fire," the report read.

"The accident was not survivable and the six occupants were fatally injured."

After taking off from Monto just after 11am on a flight to Caboolture, the pilot called Brisbane Air Traffic Control at 1.15pm asking for navigation assistance.

Three minutes later he advised the plane was in full cloud.

"For most of the remainder of the flight, the pilot and ATC exchanged communications, at times relayed through a commercial flight and a rescue flight in the area due to the limited ATC radio coverage in the area at low altitude," the report said.

At about 1.20pm a friend of one of the passengers received a phone call saying the plane was 'lost in a cloud' and losing altitude.

The pilot advised ATC at 1.48pm the aircraft had about an hour's fuel left.

His last transmission was received 16 minutes later.

The wreckage was found on Wednesday 3 October about 87km north west of Caboolture on the northern side of a steep, densely wooded ridge.

The final report into the cause of the crash will be completed by next October.

The Very Sad Loss of DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG - RIP Des Porter and Passengers - And Thanks for the Memories

My family and I were very saddened to hear of the passing of Des Porter, as well as the other passengers, that were on board his DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG that crashed in the Sunshine Coast hinterland on Monday 3 October.  I thought that I would just post a few photos to share some of my memories of Des, and his pride-and-joy VH-UXG 'Riama'.

I knew Des from when I was still living in Brisbane - he was the mechanic for my Mum's car - and as a person, he was very warm and accommodating towards her, and assisted her many times with her little old car that Des quite possibly single-handedly kept it on the road!

I've only seen VH-UXG at the Old Station Fly-in at Raglan near Rockhampton in 2007, 2011, and in 2012, and at a couple of these show, had a pleasure of catching up with Des for a chat about aviation.  This year, I was even fortunate to secure a seat on one Des's many joyflights that he flew during the Fly-in, raising money for local charities.

During the flight, Des pointed out some of the scenery near the Old Station farm, and provided a brief history of 'Riama' and its rebuild after the 1954 accident that claimed his father.  After the joyflight, we continued to chat until Des had to leave to finally get a chance to sit down and eat something - he had been operating joyflights all day with a break except to refuel the plane!

Des was obviously a very generous man - with this time and with his money - he always stopped to chat with people - even strangers - at these fly-ins - as well as catch up with the hundreds of people that knew him in aviation circles.

Des also operated joyflights during the NORRA-Aus Fly-in at Monto last weekend, and reportedly made over $10000 for local charities, including the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter Service, which was then extensively involved in the search for VH-UXG.

My family's and my sincerest condolences go out to all the family and friends of the victims of this terrible incident.  Thanks for the memories, Des.  RIP

A Sad Day as There are No Survivors as the Wreckage of DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG is Found

From:  ABC News (http://www.abc.net.au)

Queensland police say the wreckage of a vintage plane has been found in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and a search team has confirmed there are no survivors.

A rescue helicopter sighted the red biplane 14 kilometres north of Borumba Dam just before 2:00pm on Wednesday 3 October.

The plane with six people on board disappeared on its way to Caboolture north of Brisbane on Monday afternoon, shortly after the pilot reported he was in trouble.

On board were pilot Desmond Porter, 68, and his wife Cath Porter, 61, from Tingalpa in Brisbane's east; John Dawson, 63, and his wife Carol Dawson, 63, who are also from Tingalpa; and Les D'evlin, 75, and his wife Janice D'evlin, 61, who are from Manly West.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokesman Mike Barton told reporters it was a "high impact crash site".

"The plane is not in a condition that you would recognise as a plane," he said.

"So they have hit the ground exceedingly hard and the aircraft is fundamentally destroyed."

Mr Barton says it is likely the six people on board were killed on impact.

He says their next of kin have been notified and the grim discovery will be felt by the vintage aircraft community.

"I personally knew the pilot and I think the antique aeroplane community are going to be quite upset for a while that they've lost him," he said.

Mr Barton says the crash site was difficult for authorities to reach and its location away from the water means it is unlikely Mr Porter tried to land in the water.

"There were lots of trees to the point where the rescue helicopter was only able to land 200 metres away and then they had to hike up to the crash site," he said.

He says authorities had an idea of where to look because of a mobile phone on board the crashed plane.

"Phones themselves these days talk backwards and forwards to the towers at different stages," he said.

Mr Barton says until today authorities were still hoping to find survivors.

"Aviation can be a cruel child and you only have to make small mistakes and it can catch up on you," he said.

Mr Barton would not speculate as to how or why the plane crashed and says an inspection of the wreckage will go on for several days.

A spokesman for AGL Action Rescue helicopter says their crew is still on the ground searching through the wreckage.

It is understood the red De Havilland Dragon DH-84 VH-UXG - built in 1934 and one of only four in the world - was returning from an air show at Monto.

Queensland police are on the scene and will be preparing a report for the coroner.

Authorities today narrowed their search to the area near the dam based on reports from local residents.

Sixteen rescue helicopters had been searching small plots of the rugged terrain and AMSA was considering putting a boat into the dam to search the banks.

Police superintendent Chris Sang says the grim task of recovering the bodies will begin once the crash scene has been evaluated by specialist investigators.

"Our disaster victim identification team, our scenes of crime officers, as well as our investigators, will need to look at the scene and examine the scene prior to [when] the bodies are removed," he said.

"It looks as though some of the people have actually flown forward of the plane crash and landed forward of where most of the plane is lodged in the trees there.

"It'll be a joint investigation and air safety authorities and the Queensland Police Service will work together on this investigation."

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has expressed his sympathy for the plane crash victims and extended his condolences to their families.  He also thanked the people involved in the search for the biplane.

Still No Sign of Missing De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG

From:  http://www.news.com.au

There has been no sign of the De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG, carrying pilot Des Porter and five passengers, which reportedly struck trouble over the Jimna Range near Kilcoy yesterday afternoon.

On Tuesday 2 October, up to 15 helicopters were helping search for the missing vintage aircraft which is believed to have crashed in rugged bushland west of the Sunshine Coast.

The operation, systematically checking an area between Gympie and Nambour, began at first light this morning with seven choppers.

Activity was ramped up as skies cleared this afternoon, with another eight helicopters sourced from throughout the region.

The skies were buzzing around Sunshine Coast Airport at Mudjimba as the choppers came and went.

A refuelling tanker has also been set up at Kenilworth to save time and fuel for the rescue teams.

The Search for Des Porter's De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG to Resume This Morning

From The Brisbane Times (http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au)

A full-scale aerial search for a missing plane with six people on board was set to begin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland at first light on Tuesday 2 October.

The pilot of a missing light plane had been fundraising for charity before his craft vanished in southeastern Queensland.

Des Porter, 68, was giving scenic flights in his prized red 1930s biplane at an airshow in Central Queensland yesterday morning, according to the organiser of the Monto Fly-In.

Mr Porter is one of six people on board the 1930s de Havilland DH-84 which left the town of Monto, 180 kilometres west of Bundaberg, shortly after 11am Monday.

It’s believed the other passengers were two elderly couples and Mr Porter’s partner.

The plane had been due to arrive at Caboolture Airport, north of Brisbane, about 2.15pm, but never arrived.

A distress call from Mr Porter shortly after 1pm was picked up by a Nine Network helicopter pilot.

Mr Porter said he was having difficulty positioning himself and wanted assistance, the helicopter pilot said.

The aircraft’s emergency beacon was activated at about 2.45pm, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Police and Australian Search and Rescue are coordinating an air and land search which is west of the Imbil area and about 70km north of Caboolture.

Two helicopters conducted fly-overs of the search zone yesterday afternoon but found no sign of the missing plane or its occupants.

A spokeswoman for AMSA says search conditions were ‘‘not ideal’’, with low and thick cloud blanketing the area.

A dedicated night rescue aircraft with electronic search capabilities including infra-red and heat-sensing technology continued searching overnight.

Today's search will include more aircraft - both helicopters and fixed wing - and possibly people on foot.

Monto Fly-In organiser Myles Breitkreutz said Mr Porter was a highly experienced pilot.

He last saw his plane taxiing from the airstrip, 180km west of Bundaberg, shortly after 11am yesterday.

The aviator said he’d invited Mr Porter to the airshow and felt terrible, but wasn’t giving up hope his friend was safe.

‘‘I know the capabilities of Des as a pilot and we’ve got our thoughts and hopes that he’s made an emergency landing in a paddock and waiting for weather to clear and everything’s cool,’’ he said.

Helping the Royal Flying Doctor Service and other people was Mr Porter’s ‘‘passion and his life’’, Mr Breitkreutz said.

The six missing had been part of large number of aviation enthusiasts who descended on the small town of Monto for the weekend airshow.

Simone Ryan, from Monto’s Three Moon Motel, said the motel was booked out for the entire weekend with many of the organisers of the airshow staying there.

‘‘The people who were with that plane stayed here,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s terrible, they were absolutely lovely people.’’

Mr Porter survived a fatal crash in the same model airplane which claimed the lives of his father and brother in the 1950s.

He was 10 when the plane flown by his father went down in a creek in Brisbane’s south in 1954.

BREAKING NEWS! Des Porter's De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG Missing Feared Crashed Returning from Monto Fly-in

From:  ABC News (http://www.abc.net.au/)

Police and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) are searching for a plane missing on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

AMSA has confirmed a distress call was made about 2:15pm near Kilcoy, shortly before the plane's EPIRB beacon was activated.

Jo Meehan from AMSA says they have grave fears for the six people on board and a rescue plane is about to join two helicopters in the search, 45 nautical miles north-west of Caboolture.

"We will be conducting a search throughout the evening and all until tomorrow until we have any information about what happened to this aircraft," she said.

"We have tasked two rescue helicopters out of Maroochydore; the AGL Action Rescue helicopters will be searching the area where the beacon had been activated, AMSA’s rescue Dornier will arrive in the area at approximately 7:15 this evening and will conduct a search overnight."

Police are coordinating a ground search and are urging anyone with information to come forward.

It is believed the plane is vintage red de Havilland Dragon DH-84 VH-UXG, built in 1934, and one of only four in the world.

The Old Station Fly-in and Heritage Show at Raglan Raises $7500 for Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service

I recently received a fantastic email from the Creed Family that owns the "Old Station" farm at Raglan, and proudly hosted the Old Station Fly-in and Heritage Show in late May.

Helen Creed told me that the whole weekend - including the fly-in, heritage show, truck show, tractor pulling, plus all the other activities on Friday and Saturday nights - raised a total of $7500 for their chosen charity, the Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service.

As Helen said in her email, it was a great result for an "almost washed-out weekend".

TRIP REPORT - Local Joyflight at Old Station Fly-in - Des Porter's De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG

At the Old Station Fly-in and Heritage Show held at Raglan last Saturday 26 May, Des Porter flew his well-known, and ever-popular De Havilland DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG up from Caboolture.  

After arriving and enjoying a quick morning tea, Des opened the lovely old plane up for 15-minute joyflights over the local area, with all proceeds from these being donated to the Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service.  Of course, I jumped at the chance to take a flight in VH-UXG!  This post shares some of the experience of flying in the 1934-build De Havilland DH-84 Dragon. 

The old bird was manufactured in England, but has called Australia home since 1936. According to Des, the plane unfortunately suffered some significant damage after his father crashed it sometime during the 1950's, however after restoration was able to take to the skies again.

The Dragon is powered by a pair of very old, although immaculately maintained (and regularly rebuilt) De Havilland Gyspy Major 10-2 piston engines.  Des commented his particular aircraft has a relatively short-range endurance, although the flight from Caboolture to Rockhampton can be comfortably achieved.  Typical cruising altitude on the trip is around 4000ft.

While taking me, and the other passengers on our joyflight around the Old Station, Des maintained a low altitude of 500ft to improve visibility of the surrounding area - and of the "Old Station" Farm!  The views were absolutely spectacular!

After a short outbound leg, we turned back towards the Farm which we soon overflew and then turned finals onto Runway 24 for landing.

In my opinion, $40 for a 15 minute flight in the old DH-84 Dragon VH-UXG, was money well spent, and I would definitely do it again if I ever get the chance. 

Sincere thanks to Des for actually allowing me to ride in his Dragon.  Truth-be-told, I nearly didn't make the ride and, as it turned out, this was the final ride on the Saturday!

The Old Station Fly-in and Heritage Show - A Fantastic Way to Spend a Saturday!

The Old Station Fly-in and Heritage Show at Raglan went ahead on Saturday 26 May, this was despite a day of almost continuous rain on Friday.  The day was hosted by the Creed Family and the Old Station Flying Club.

Conditions were a little wet under foot, but the weather improved during Saturday, and by the end of the day, the sky was clearing, and around 40 aircraft had either visited or parked for the night, with most of their owners pitching their tents near their aircraft.

The day also included a heritage and truck show, with some of the latest, and of course much older, trucks and other machinery.

Throughout the afternoon, there was the ever popular tractor pulling competition with new and old machinery on display.

We'll take a closer look at some of the visiting aircraft that arrived and were on display during the day in later Blog posts this week, but here is a taste of some of the fantastic aviation action.

Des Porter's lovely old De Havilland DH-84 Dragon arrived during the morning and operated 15-minute joyflights throughout the day - both Shane T and myself grabbed seats on one of these flights!

As the day was drawing the a close, Mikoyan MIG-15UTI VH-DIE arrived at the Old Station farm Airstrip.  The MIG was operating its last ever flight before being retired and displayed by the Creed Family at the Old Station farm.  It put a short, but very spectacular show, before landing and parking.  It was certainly a popular attraction for those enthusiasts who stayed late into the day!

All up, it was a great day, and even better was that all proceeds from the day - from admissions, food and drink sales, and the joyflights - will aid the Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service.