Col Pay Feared Dead

[ABMM]

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/07/2112301.htm

Police divers are trying to recover the body of a 75-year-old pilot who died when his light plane smashed into a lake in the New South Wales Upper Hunter Valley this morning.

The Air Tractor 802 aircraft was performing a water-skimming exercise over Lake Liddell, near Muswellbrook, when it hit the water and crashed at about 9:15am AEDT.

The aircraft was seen skimming across the water before it went down and disappeared into the lake about 100 metres from the shoreline.

The pilot, who is believed to be well-known in the Hunter Valley aviation community, was unable to escape the plane.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority said the plane was practicing scooping up water as part of practice drills ahead of the bushfire season.

Penelope Little from the Ambulance Service says paramedics tried to reach the man who was still in the plane, but were unsuccessful due to the depth of the water.

The wreckage came to rest 10 metres down.

It is unclear whether the pilot was working for the New South Wales Fire Brigade or the Rural Fire Service.

"It was an aircraft practicing picking up water ... it was a firefighting aircraft," Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said. "It's touched the surface of the lake, flipped over and sank."

The Air Transport Safety Bureau is investigating.

This post has been edited by ABMM on Dec 7 2007, 02:07 PM

[Luig]

From The Australian.
Experienced pilot feared dead in crash
By Kim Christian | December 07, 2007.

AN agricultural pilot with more than 50 years' experience is feared dead after a light aircraft crashed into a lake in the NSW Hunter region.

Police said a man in his 70s was missing after the plane went down at Lake Liddell, northwest of Singleton, at 9.40am (AEDT) today.

Scone Aero Club president Neville Partridge said the pilot of the plane was Col Pay, a water bomber pilot and crop-duster from Scone.

He had more than half a century of flying experience, Mr Partridge said.

"Without doubt, he was one of the most experienced pilots," he said.

"He was flying an agricultural-type plane when it happened."

Police divers search the lake today.

There was initial confusion over how many people were on board the plane when it crashed, with ambulance services saying earlier that two passengers had swum ashore.

But a spokeswoman for Pay's Air Service later said Mr Pay was the only person in the plane.

She was unable to say what work Mr Pay was carrying out at the time.

An Air Services Australia (ASA) spokeswoman said the plane, a fire-bomber Air Tractor model AT 8T usually used for water bombing, was licensed to carry two people.

Pay's Air Service carries out fire-spotting and bushfire water-bombing out of Scone and Moree, according to the company website.

Chief executive of the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia, Phil Hurst, said he understood the aircraft involved in the crash was a two-seater, but he was unsure how many people were aboard.

[Dean]

This is devastating news. I only saw him a few weeks ago at Temora. The warbird community has lost one of the great pioneers in the warbird movement.

My thoughts to his family and the warbird fratenity.

[Martin Edwards]

What an absolute tragedy. My sympathy to family, friends and the warbird community. RIP.

[gph]

A very sad day for aviation indeed.

Just received this from good mate Harry Howard who helped us rescue the Venoms.


"For those who knew Bruce Hartwich - former fighter pilot and Winjeel driver who was one of God's gentlemen, you will be saddened to hear of his death in a grain silo in Hamilton in Victoria.

I haven't seen Bruce for about 20 years, but I remember him as a friend, a colleague and a gentleman.

I don't know any funeral arrangements but I will do my best to find out and to be there.

Harry Howard"

[millsy2]

I'm very sorry to hear about both gentleman, but don't know much about Mr Hartwich, can we please have more details about his aviation career? And Col Pay at least went out doing what he loved - flying-but Mr Hartwich seems to have suffered a death that no former pilot would expect.

[darren.crick]

sorry guys, was it definately Col I hadnt heard anything other than the initial reports...

[ABMM]

I'm afraid so.

His funeral was the other day