The Cessna R182 Skylane RG VH-EHM, operated by Executive Helicopters, was carrying two passengers and a pet dog from a property near Roma to Brisbane’s Archerfield Airport when it crashed in the D’Aguilar Range in August 2022, killing all on board.
Ten people, including the pilot, were on board VH-NWJ when it reportedly overshot the runway and crashed into bushland on the remote resort island at around 7:30am on 8 January. All nine adults and one 14-year-old girl escaped the overturned Cessna and were airlifted to Cairns Hospital.
Hayden McDonald, 22, touched down in Esperance at 3pm on Monday, ending what is believed to be the first unaccompanied flight of its kind by an autistic pilot. He has logged more than 80 hours of flight time in his Jabiru J120 since the start of his journey on September 8.
VH-FEY, piloted by Michelle Yeates, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as working for Rottnest Air Taxi, was on its way from Carnarvon to Jandakot via Geraldton when it began to lose engine power. Yeates, seeing that people were on the nearby Leighton Beach, opted to ditch in the ocean.
Registered N140CG, Tanker 133 – nicknamed Froy – departed California on 24 November, touching down at Richmond, NSW, shortly before 4:30pm on Monday ready for duty with the NSW Rural Fire Service. It is one of five Hercules planes purchased from the Norwegian Air Force in 2019.
The aircraft, VH-DZJ (pictured), collided with another S-211 in mid-air approximately 12km west of Mount Martha in southeast Melbourne and went down, while the other aircraft, VH-DQJ, returned safely to Essendon. Pilot Stephen Gale and cameraman James Rose are presumed dead.