Visiting Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Boeing P-8A Poseidon (B737-800A) NZ4804 "Kiwi 903" Assists with Rescue off the Keppels

On Saturday 21 October, a visiting Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Boeing P-8A Poseidon (B737-800A) NZ4804 "Kiwi 903" had departed RAAF Base Amberley and was operating off the Central Queensland coast and heard a distress beacon.  They opted to locate it and found two people in the water wearing lifejackets East of the Keppels. 

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The Poseidon flew around them until the locally-based Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service (CHRS) (Babcock Mission Critical Services Australasia) Agusta S.P.A. AW139 Helicopter VH-YXR "Rescue 300", and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) (Cobham SAR Services Pty Ltd) Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 bizjet VH-XNC as "Rescue 440" were on scene. 

VH-XNC "Rescue 440" had flown down from Cairns earlier to complete search operations near Longreach and had refuelled at Longreach Airport and had departed back to Cairns when it was re-tasked out to the search and rescue near the Keppels.  It eventually landed at Rockhampton Airport for fuel and then later returned to Cairns.

When they arrived NZ4804 "Kiwi 903" left and went back to what it was doing.  Of interest, it had also operated off the CQ Coast over the last couple of days.