Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Beech B350 Super King Air A32-351 "Beaufort 11" Suprise Landing at Mackay Airport Short on Fuel

A surprise arrival into Mackay Airport on Saturday 11 June with Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Beech B350 Super King Air A32- 351 forced to land and take on fuel while on a flight from RAAF Base East Sale to Townsville.

A32-351  (Robert Myers / https://commons.wikimedia.org)

A32-351 - of 32 Squadron based at East Sale - was flying as "Beaufort 11" and reported that it needed to land at Mackay Airport for fuel due to strong head winds in Central Queensland which affected its performance.

Indeed several North-bound commercial aircraft also reported strong head winds and were flying at much lower than normal flight levels to escape the stronger winds.