Vintage plane wreck found in Australia, 6 dead
4 Oct 2012 10:33 PM GMT
All six people on board a vintage red 1930s de Havilland biplane that vanished this week were confirmed dead on Wednesday after the wreckage was found in a dense Australian forest.
They included the 68-year-old pilot Des Porter, who survived a crash in the same plane 58 years ago that killed his father and brother.
Sixteen helicopters and an aircraft had been scouring an area in southeastern Queensland state since late Monday when the Dragon DH-84 plane, reportedly one of only four in the world, sent a distress call.
‘A rescue helicopter sighted the red biplane north of Borumba Dam,’ said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority [AMSA], which was coordinating the search. ‘The search team has confirmed there are no survivors.’ Television footage of the crash site showed that the plane had disintegrated when it hit the ground near the dam, around 160 kilometres north of Brisbane.
Porter had been raising funds for charity by giving scenic flights before the plane disappeared.
They included the 68-year-old pilot Des Porter, who survived a crash in the same plane 58 years ago that killed his father and brother.
Sixteen helicopters and an aircraft had been scouring an area in southeastern Queensland state since late Monday when the Dragon DH-84 plane, reportedly one of only four in the world, sent a distress call.
‘A rescue helicopter sighted the red biplane north of Borumba Dam,’ said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority [AMSA], which was coordinating the search. ‘The search team has confirmed there are no survivors.’ Television footage of the crash site showed that the plane had disintegrated when it hit the ground near the dam, around 160 kilometres north of Brisbane.
Porter had been raising funds for charity by giving scenic flights before the plane disappeared.
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