Light plane crash off BNE 19/12/21

[QF WP]

Sounds like it was a Rockwell International, 69yo pilot and 3 pax (possibly a family joy flight), possibly on take off and impact was in the mangroves.

Police press conference: Fatal aviation incident near Brisbane | Four people have died in a plane crash off Brisbane's coast at approximately 9am (AEST). Inspector Craig White provides an update on the continuing... | By 7NEWS Brisbane | Facebook

Four people have died in a plane crash off Brisbane's coast at approximately 9am (AEST). Inspector Craig White provides an update on the continuing...

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More to come

 

[QF WP]

VH-WMM took off from Redcliffe airport and crashed into mangroves in Deception Bay soon after take off.

 

[serfty]

Very shallow water, saw video the aircraft laying upside down on mangrove mud after the tide had receded.

 

[jb747]

There was a flight tracker trace that looked to show a number of circuits, so I’m not sure how far into the flight it was.

 

[QF WP]

Not sure how accurate this video representation is of the crash:

News story giving pilots name: Tragic detail in doomed Qld flight

 

[jb747]

Not sure how accurate this video representation is of the crash:

It falls into the category of perhaps.

Why is the landing gear down?

And something to think about. Would you be better off ending up in shallow water, or trying for deeper. It was a relevant question at Pt Cook.

 

[QF WP]

I suppose we'll find out more details in the ATSB report (do they do preliminary ones like NTSB?). Had he no chance to bring the gear up before the crash happened (thought as soon as he had positive rate the next item is gear up); or did he put them down after the engine out as he was trying to return to the field - but at low altitude that doesn't seem like a sensible thing to do, as that would have caused significant drag and taken the plane closer to stall (without a working engine, crazy IMHO). I imagine his thought process should have been to assess whether a return to field was possible, or as you say, look to land on water (the seas were calm over the weekend, wife and daughter advised they were up at Mooloolaba). Presume he must have hit the water/mangroves prop first (or wings weren't level) and that flipped the plane. What's the optimum nose up - 3.5 degrees or 5? (trying to think of Sully)

Presume they can rule out overweight on take-off with 2 of the pax being kids and no luggage, based on the specs (~575 kgs from empty weight to max take-off weight):

Commander 114

www.aopa.org

 

[jb747]

What's the optimum nose up - 3.5 degrees or 5? (trying to think of Sully)

Whilst manuals talk of an optimum angle (it's about 10º), the reality is that it's total b/s. To achieve that in an airliner, you'd have to hold off to well below the normal landing speeds. Many a light aircraft has been ditched over the years...basically just do a normal landing flare. Height judgement over water is very difficult, but with a coast in front of him, it would be about as good as it gets.

As for Sully. He didn't achieve it either. Because the aircraft was in normal law, it AoA protected, and he basically mushed into the water without a flare.

 

[QF WP]

More details on the pilot and adult pax: Tributes for Queensland businessman Roy Watterson who was killed in light plane crash off Redcliffe

 

[AIRwin]

Another fatal light plane crash:

Elderly man dies, pilot injured in light plane crash on beach north of Mackay

One man has died and another is in hospital after the light plane crashed at Ball Bay.

www.abc.net.au