Light Plane Crash Site - SA

  Ruins

Position

DEG: -29.389509 131.858398
DMS: 29º 23' 22.23" S 131º 51' 30.23" E
UTM: 52 J 6745461mN 777418mE
Altitude: 215m

Description

Address & Contact

Emu Road
Maralinga
Phone: N/A
Email: N/A
Web: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1988/aair/a

Information

On the 9th June 1988, a Cessna 310-R with Registration Number VH-DZH departed Ceduna on route to Emu to uplift a group of people that were waiting to be collected at Emu. After making a number of serious navigational blunders, the plane could not locate the runway fires that were going to be lit in the event that the plane arrived after dark. Noticing a camp fire in the vicinity of Len Beadell’s blaze tree, the pilot thought that it was one of the runway marker fires and banked to make the approach to what he thought was the Emu airstrip, and this error caused the crash.

Within hours of the plane being declared missing, the Civil Aviation Authority advised the Coober Pedy Police of the event, with the then Officer in Charge of Coober Pedy Police, Senior Sargent John Reed being placed in charge of the search. The following morning on board of Police Aircraft, an official from the CAA arrived at Coober Pedy and a control centre was set up at the Coober Pedy Airport, with Detective Hunt and Sargent Talbot directed by road to Emu Junction.

During that first day of searching by many fixed wing planes, no trace of the missing plane could be located, and it was not until PM of the following day that the wreckage was located.

The Coober Pedy Police ground patrol was ordered back to Coober Pedy, while the Coroners Office flew in an office by Helicopter, landing near the fatal crash site.

Because of the remote nature of the crash site, the body was removed from the scene by helicopter and taken out to the Emu Road, where it was collected by motor vehicle and taken to Coober Pedy.

Around 10 days after the fatal crash, an Engineer from Adelaide flew up to the crash site by helicopter and removed the two engines, and one at a time the engines were flown out to the Emu Road, where Coober Pedy locals David White, Jim Reynolds and David Hunt loaded the engines onto a trailer, where they were returned to Coober Pedy and subsequently transported to Parafield in Adelaide.

The above information has been supplied by member Stephen Langman and the above GPS Co-Ordinates are accurate and do not agree with those that were given by the inquest .

If you would like to read the full inquest into the fatal crash, please open the link below.

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1988/aair/aair198800718.aspx
PlaceID108155
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Wildflowers

Weather

Closest Weather Station

Nullarbor at 29/11:00am CDT
Distance from Light Plane Crash Site 246.69km S
TemperatureFeels LikeRel. HumidityDew PointPressureRainfallWind DirectionWind SpeedGusts
20.8°C19.8°C62%13.3°C1021.3hPa0.0mmESE11km/hr
6knots
20km/hr
11knots

Closest Climatic Station

Nullarbor
Distance from Light Plane Crash Site 246.69km S
 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean Max. °C27.927.826.524.821.418.818.219.622.424.326.026.7
Mean Min. °C15.716.114.111.68.96.35.15.87.910.212.414.2
Mean Rain mm11.113.221.822.429.730.227.324.517.818.216.815.3

Update History

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