Two dead after microlight crash (May 2008 thread)

[vgp]

Two dead after microlight crash
Sunday, 25 May 2008

The pair flew off from Wairoa Aerodrome around 3.15am and a friend raised the alarm an hour later when they failed to return.

The men were found in the crashed microlight about 400m from the aerodrome by a police search and rescue team around 7.30am.

Police said that the two victims, aged 30 and 39, were both from Wairoa.

Both were experienced microlight pilots but it was believed drink may have been involved.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said weather conditions in the region were unfavourable for flying with heavy showers, reports of lightning, and patches of fog.

No emergency beacon had been activated.

An investigation had been launched into the cause of the crash.

RCCNZ said the later that the the wreckage of the microlight was spotted by a rescue helicopter about 120m from the northern end of the Wairoa Aerodrome runway.

Wairoa police had informed the victims' next-of-kin and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had been advised.

- NZPA
www.stuff.co.nz/4560080a10.html


Aero Club shocked, confused at microlight crash
Updated 1:03PM Sunday May 25, 2008

Two friends left the Wairoa Aerodrome on a joyride about 3.15am today but never returned.
Wairoa Aero Club secretary Richard Tollison said today he could not understand why two prominent members of the club would try to fly at night.

Two Wairoa men, aged 30 and 39, were killed when their aircraft crashed about 120m from the northern end of the Wairoa runway.

The two men, who were friends, left the Wairoa Aerodrome on a joyride about 3.15am today.

A friend on the ground raised the alarm when they failed to return after about an hour.

The two men were both experienced microlight pilots but police suspect drink may have been involved.

A rescue helicopter found wreckage of the microlight with the two victims around 7.30am.

Mr Tollison said the younger man was the club's instructor and the other the club president and their deaths would leave a big hole in the club, he told Radio New Zealand.

He said the microlight was more like a small plane with navigation lighting but he could still not explain why they would go out in poor weather in the middle of the night.

Aviation safety investigators are at the scene of the crash.

Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said weather conditions were unfavourable for flying with heavy showers, reports of lightning, and patches of fog.

Next-of-kin had been informed and a formal identification would be carried out this afternoon.

- NZPA
www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10512361

[sniff]

rnzaf.proboards43.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=5837

I wonder what their last words were?

[sleemanj]

May 25, 2008 9:52:51 GMT 12 @sniff said:

rnzaf.proboards43.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=5837

I wonder what their last words were?

I expect much like themselves in their state when deciding to get into the aircraft, unintelligent.

Seriously. 3.15 AM, in a thunderstorm, yes indeed just a perfect time to go for a fly, in a microlight.

I can't wait to find out just what on earth they were thinking. It's not like it was a couple of jokers just having a lark either, this was reportedly an instructor and the club president. W.T.F

[Peter Lewis]

"The pair took off from the airfield just after three this morning in an Air Sea 601."
Allowing for journalistic inaccuracy, sounds like Zenith Zenith CH 601-XL ZK-ZXL

[globemaster]

Simply unbelievable...
Dodgy aircraft at night with those stupid control sticks plus shit weather aswell as supposedly being on the piss! Mother of god !

Takes some serious balls to risk your life flying one of those things during the day let alone at night with those factors.
Makes ya wonder.....

[Dave Homewood]

It is best to please leave any speculation off the board please, till official findings are made rather than conjecture based on media reports.

In the meantime, condolences to the families and friends of the two pilots, one of whom was about to become a father this week. The other is the father of three.

[Peter Lewis]

The initial accident report as posted on the CAA website reports that the crash occurred shortly after take-off, rather than during any attempt to return to the airfield:

"A microlight took off from Wairoa aerodrome at around 03:15am in inclement weather. The microlight had crashed on takeoff about 120 metres from the northern end of the runway."

[FlyNavy]

Spatial Disorientation coupled with other factors would seem to be a distinct possibility (if otherwise the engine has not failed just after takeoff). I'm not speculating, just noting that a night takeoff in bad weather for any pilot is fraught for 'the leans'. A good article about this is here:

aeromedical.org/Articles/dnt.html

"How could a healthy, command instrument rated, type experienced pilot fly a perfectly sound Beech King Air into the ground only seconds after taking off into a clear, unlit night sky? He did at Wondai, QLD, several years ago..."

[philip]

The mystery deepens then as the wind at the time was a south easterly. To crash on takeoff at the northern end is all out of wack.

[Brett]

Nothing in the report that we hadn't already heard:

nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/6493396/pilots-heavily-intoxicated-before-wairoa-crash-caa/

Pilots heavily intoxicated before Wairoa crash - CAANZPA
November 19, 2009, 5:52 pm


Two men who died in a microlight crash in northern Hawke's Bay last year were drunk, a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) investigation has found.

Each was said to have downed 20 beers before taking to the air, the investigation said today,

Darren John McNay, 39, and Antony Donald Bell, 30, both of Wairoa, left Wairoa Aerodrome in the microlight about 3.15am on May 25.

Mr McNay, a pilot with 220 flight hours, and Mr Bell, an instructor with 560 flight hours, died after the microlight crashed about 400 metres from the runway.

The two men had been drinking at a party before taking the microlight out in the dark.

A third person, who had also been at the party, raised the alarm, after they did not return. Searchers found the wreckage about 7.30am.

Both men were heavily intoxicated at the time of the crash, the CAA report said.

Mr Bell's blood alcohol level was 320 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood and Mr McNay's 236 milligrams.

The legal limit for driving a car is 80 milligrams.

Tests also indicated Mr McNay had used cannabis before the flight.

Their friend, who raised the alarm, told police they had drunk about 20 beers each before the flight.

Strong winds, passing rain and poor visibility created unsuitable conditions for the plane to be flying, the report said.

``This would have been a challenging flight even if the instructor and the pilot's performance had not been impaired.''

Mr McNay had no night flying experience and Mr Bell, though previously rated to fly at night, was not at the time certified to carry passengers or instruct in night flying.

The plane was not certified to fly at night, the report said.

``It is probable that the pilot and the instructor became spatially disorientated after losing reference to the ground lights and/or flying into low cloud or rain.''

A post mortem found both men died from injuries sustained in the impact, which likely happened on their return to the runway, the report said.

[fletcherfu24]

I wonder what their last words were?

"Hold me beer and watch this''....

Fairly unbeleivable chain of events...

[slackie]

I'll have to change my theories on how many types of pilots there are with regard to weather...

I've always considered there were 3 types...
1. Those that have yet to scare themselves in weather
2. Those that have scared themselves in weather and won't repeat it, and lastly
3. Those that are dead.

...but after the results of this investigation, I'll add a fourth...
4. F..king idiots!!

What a waste of a good aircraft (that I'd flown many times prior to Wairoa aquiring it). As a friend recently commented...."Aviation is an extremely unforgiving activity - mistakes so often incur the ultimate price".

PS. I put myself in category 2.

[fletcherfu24]

320 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood

In a previous occupation I can recall a driver with this level of blood alcohol,the driver was driving along the grass verge instead of the road,in town,he was completely disorentated and had lost control of his bodily functions,needless to say he could barely walk and was falling asleep/losing consiousness.
To think someone tried to fly an aircraft in this state is so unbelievable its hard to comprehend it actually happened.

[corsair67]

Whilst I do feel sorry for the families of these two blokes, I'm pleased they only wiped themselves out, and didn't take any innocent people with them.

[philip]

Winners of the Darwin Award for 2008 surely

[pault]

I've had the misfortune to have been with, and have witnessed several pilots (in command) fly pissed before. It actually happens more often than one would care to think.