Queensland flight examiner's last words to wife just hours before fatal plane crash claimed his life revealed
Flight examiner and war veteran Robert 'Bob' Molony was one of two men onboard an Aero Logistics aircraft which crashed west of Toowoomba, Queensland on Sunday afternoon.
Emergency responders rushed to scene at Devon Park near Oakley at about 3.10pm following reports of a crash, with police saying in a statement the two male occupants of the aircraft were declared dead at the scene.
Pilot Wayne Saunders has been identified as the other man onboard the 35-year-old French made twin turboprop Reims Cessna F406 that took off from Warwick Airport.
The Courier Mail reports Stephanie Molony, who had been married to Mr Molony for nearly three decades, has said her husband will leave a legacy of having been 'one of the most experienced pilots around'.
'I'm so proud of him and the person he was for the industry, that they've now got people like him to aspire to be,' she said.
Ms Molony also revealed she and the 78-year-old had shopped for fruit trees at a Bunnings on Sunday morning before her husband's flight that afternoon.
She said the flight examiner had yelled to her 'I'll be home at 4pm to plant those trees' as he walked out the door.
'There was nothing extra about it, just as simple as that,' she said.
'It got to 4.30pm and I tried ringing his mobile and it went to message bank.
Ms Molony drove to the airport the plane had departed from and discovered her husband's parked car, before police then arrived to deliver the news, according to the masthead.
It comes after the chief executive of Aero Logistics – an Archerfield-based aircraft charter and rental service – described Sunday's incident as 'tragedy'.
'This is a terrible tragedy for the two people on-board the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates,' chief executive Ben Smee said on Monday.
'This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew them.
'We have offered our support and assistance to their families as they come to terms with the situation. We have also made counselling services available for our staff.'
An investigation into determining the cause of the crash could take up to six weeks, according to the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB).
Mr Molony, originally from Brisbane, was a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot who was deployed to South Vietnam as a Canberra bomber navigator, having amassed more than 14,000 flight hours over his career.
The ATSB has said its investigation involves a team of investigators from Brisbane and Cairns.
'Investigators will conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities, including site and wreckage examination, and recovery of any aircraft components for further examination at the ATSB's technical facilities in Canberra,' a statement said.
'Investigators will also seek to interview involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Sky News AU
Queensland flight examiner's last words to wife just hours before fatal plane crash claimed his life revealed
The longtime wife of a man who died following a tragic plane crash over the weekend has revealed the last words he spoke to her just hours before take-off. Flight examiner and war veteran Robert 'Bob' Molony was one of two men onboard an Aero Logistics aircraft which crashed west of Toowoomba, Queensland on Sunday afternoon. Emergency responders rushed to scene at Devon Park near Oakley at about 3.10pm following reports of a crash, with police saying in a statement the two male occupants of the aircraft were declared dead at the scene. Pilot Wayne Saunders has been identified as the other man onboard the 35-year-old French made twin turboprop Reims Cessna F406 that took off from Warwick Airport. The Courier Mail reports Stephanie Molony, who had been married to Mr Molony for nearly three decades, has said her husband will leave a legacy of having been 'one of the most experienced pilots around'. 'I'm so proud of him and the person he was for the industry, that they've now got people like him to aspire to be,' she said. Ms Molony also revealed she and the 78-year-old had shopped for fruit trees at a Bunnings on Sunday morning before her husband's flight that afternoon. She said the flight examiner had yelled to her 'I'll be home at 4pm to plant those trees' as he walked out the door. 'There was nothing extra about it, just as simple as that,' she said. 'It got to 4.30pm and I tried ringing his mobile and it went to message bank. Ms Molony drove to the airport the plane had departed from and discovered her husband's parked car, before police then arrived to deliver the news, according to the masthead. It comes after the chief executive of Aero Logistics – an Archerfield-based aircraft charter and rental service – described Sunday's incident as 'tragedy'. 'This is a terrible tragedy for the two people on-board the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates,' chief executive Ben Smee said on Monday. 'This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew them. 'We have offered our support and assistance to their families as they come to terms with the situation. We have also made counselling services available for our staff.' An investigation into determining the cause of the crash could take up to six weeks, according to the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB). Mr Molony, originally from Brisbane, was a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot who was deployed to South Vietnam as a Canberra bomber navigator, having amassed more than 14,000 flight hours over his career. The ATSB has said its investigation involves a team of investigators from Brisbane and Cairns. 'Investigators will conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities, including site and wreckage examination, and recovery of any aircraft components for further examination at the ATSB's technical facilities in Canberra,' a statement said. 'Investigators will also seek to interview involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information."
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Pilots killed in Oakey plane crash mourned as investigation continues
One of the pilots who died in a plane crash in Queensland on the weekend has been remembered for his cheeky sense of humour and calming influence on students. Wayne Saunders, a pilot for aviation specialist service Aero Logistics, and his flight examiner, Robert Molony, died instantly when the Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan they were flying crashed in a field near the Swartz Barracks at Oakey. The light plane departed from Warwick, south of Toowoomba, at about 2:30pm and was performing training exercises at Brymaroo before returning towards Oakey when the crash occurred shortly after 3pm at Devon Park. The aircraft burst into flames upon impact, killing both men instantly. Mr Malony was an experienced flight examiner whose wisdom and calming attitude made him a favourite among students chasing their flying dreams. Former student Ben Mihan said he would always hope Mr Molony was his flight examiner when he was studying for his commercial pilot's licence on the Gold Coast in 2017. "When I first met him he was such a nice bloke and made the experience of flight training really special," Mr Mihan said. Mr Milhan also experienced the veteran examiner's cheeky sense of humour after completing his final test flight. "He said very little and he ended up going for a coffee and I thought, 'Oh no, I've just failed this flight test,'" Mr Milhan said. "But then he walked back about two minutes later and had a bit of a chuckle. "He said, 'No, no, you've passed your licence.'" Mr Mihan said Mr Molony's passing would be felt throughout the aviation community. "You never expect it to be someone you know in these tragic accidents and I just feel for his family, friends and also his work colleagues," Mr Mihan said. Aero Logistics chief executive Ben Smee said the surveying and transport company was working with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to establish what led to the crash. "This is a terrible tragedy for the two people onboard the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates," Mr Smee said in a statement. "[Mr Saunders and Mr Molony] were experienced pilots and well-respected by everyone at Aero Logistics. "This is a devastating loss to everyone who knew them." ATSB investigators believe the two pilots were attempting an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Oakey Army Aviation Centre at the Swartz Barracks before the plane went down. The twin turbo-prop 12-seater aircraft, built in France in 1990, had been in Australia for 13 years and was subject to a previous ATSB investigation in 2014 inquiry related to the plane's oxygen system after a failure caused a pilot to experience hypoxia. But ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the fault found in 2014 was "unlikely to be associated with what occurred" during Sunday's crash. He confirmed an interim report was expected to be delivered within six to eight weeks. "A preliminary report is very much an assessment of the facts as we know them," Mr Mitchell said. "Quite often that will be a very good indication of the sequence of events that occurred. "We will look at the history of the aircraft, what is it normally being used for and what potentially differed … to have such a tragic outcome that two families are obviously grieving for … and, more broadly, an aviation community."
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
Flight examiner involved in fatal Oakey plane crash was a war veteran with more than 14,000 flight hours
The two men who tragically died in a plane crash in Queensland over the weekend have been identified as an investigation is launched into the cause of the incident. The aircraft, which belonged to Aero Logistics, an Archerfield, Queensland, based aircraft charter and rental service, was a 35-year-old French made twin turboprop Reims Cessna F406. About 3.10pm on Sunday, regional emergency responders were called to Devon Park near Oakey, west of Toowoomba, after reports of a plane crash. In a statement, police said the two male occupants of the aircraft were declared dead at the scene. Aero Logistics chief executive Ben Smee revealed on Monday the deceased was a pilot and an external flight examiner. Robert 'Bob' Molony and Wayne Saunders were the pilot and flight examiner who took to the sky on Sunday from Warwick Airport. 'This is a terrible tragedy for the two people on-board the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates,' he said. 'This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew them. 'We have offered our support and assistance to their families as they come to terms with the situation. We have also made counselling services available for our staff.' According to the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau, an investigation could take up to six weeks to determine the cause of the crash. Mr Molony only had partial radio contact before the aircraft crashed into a cow paddock, reported The Courier Mail. The pilot, born in Brisbane, joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1965 and was deployed to South Vietnam as a Canberra bomber navigator, and amassed more than 14,000 flight hours over his career. He left the Air Force in 1985 and became a CASA certified flight examiner and worked in Australia and Papua New Guinea with operations worldwide. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the investigation had begun with a team of investigators from Brisbane and Cairns conducting the probe. 'Investigators will conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities, including site and wreckage examination, and recovery of any aircraft components for further examination at the ATSB's technical facilities in Canberra,' the statement said. 'Investigators will also seek to interview involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information."
