Latest news with #AeroLogistics
Sky News AU
13 hours ago
- General
- 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."
Sky News AU
a day ago
- General
- 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."
7NEWS
2 days ago
- General
- 7NEWS
Two killed in Queensland plane crash were experienced pilots, airline confirms
A pilot and a flight examiner have died i n a light aircraft crash in southeast Queensland. Emergency services were called to Oakey Cooyar Rd in Kelvinhaugh near Oakey, west of Brisbane, just after 3pm on Sunday when a light aircraft operated by Aero Logistics crashed into a paddock. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today The Reims Cessna F406 twin turboprop came down in a grassy field and burst into flames on impact, creating a 'large fireball', according to Queensland Police. Aero Logistics confirmed on Monday the two people killed were one of its company pilots and an external flight examiner. 'This is a terrible tragedy for the two people onboard the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates,' CEO Ben Smee said in a statement. 'They were experienced pilots and well-respected by everyone at Aero Logistics. 'This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew them.' The flight is understood to have been part of a standard proficiency check, a routine assessment of a pilot's ability to handle the aircraft using only cockpit instruments, without visual reference to the horizon. The check needs to be completed every 12 months by instrument rated pilots. The aircraft took off at about 2.30pm from Warwick. 'Now, exactly what's occurred here is still not entirely clear to us, but we do know that in most likelihood it was conducting ILS, which is instrument landing system approaches into Oakey,' said Angus Mitchell, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). 'Something has obviously quite tragically gone wrong. 'We have some witness statements and CCTV footage to help us piece this together. 'But we'll also need to spend some time on the site today and over the next two or three days to understand what it can tell us. 'Equally, we'll need to look at the history of the aircraft itself and its maintenance records, those on board, training qualifications.' 'There is a lot of evidence to pull together, which will take us a number of days before we can start piecing together the sequence of events.' Police say the aircraft was manufactured in France around 1990, making it about 35 years old. It has been in Australia for about 13 years. Authorities confirmed the ATSB previously investigated the same aircraft in 2014 over an issue with its oxygen system. However, police said this is 'unlikely to be associated with what occurred yesterday' and investigations are currently focused on processing the crash site and gathering relevant evidence. 'We know that the flight yesterday was at around 6000 feet at its peak, so that's unlikely to have played any role here. ' 7NEWS understood the pilot made an emergency call shortly before the crash. Police said the two occupants died on impact. 'We do know that the impact is quite contained, which suggests a fairly steep rate of descent into the ground.' Acting Senior Sergeant Matt Forbes told reporters the plane caught fire as it hit the ground. The ATSB launched an investigation and is transporting the wreckage to its Canberra facilities for detailed analysis. Aero Logistics has suspended all flight operations until further notice and is co-operating fully with the ATSB and other authorities. 'Safety is our first and most important priority,' Smee said. 'The cause of the accident will be thoroughly investigated for the sake of the families and the ongoing safety of our fleet.' The company has offered support services to the families of the victims and made counselling available to its staff. Police said this crash marks the 11th aviation accident in Australia this year, which is about the national average but acknowledged it 'doesn't make it any easier for those who've lost loved ones'. 'Every accident and incident that we investigate is different and we understand the implications to not only those that have had loved ones that are directly involved with the broader community,' Mitchell said. 'So we are very focused on searching for recommendations that can lead to a safer environment for aviation and indeed for marine and rail that we investigate also.' Anyone who witnessed the crash or captured footage of the aircraft during its flight or in the aftermath is urged to contact the ATSB.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
'Terrrible tragedy': Two men killed in plane crash
A pilot and flight examiner have died in a light plane crash that ignited a "fireball" in south-eastern Queensland. A twin turboprop Reims Cessna F406 aircraft owned by Aero Logistics crashed into a grass area at Devon Park, near Oakey, west of Toowoomba about 3pm on Sunday. Two men on board the aircraft, confirmed as an Aero Logistics pilot and an external flight examiner, died in the crash. "This is a terrible tragedy for the two people onboard the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates," Aero Logistics chief executive Ben Smee said in a statement. "They were experienced pilots and well-respected by everyone at Aero Logistics. "This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew them." Mr Smee said the company has offered its support to the families of the two men and counselling services to staff. "Safety is our first and most important priority. The cause of the accident will be thoroughly investigated for the sake of the families and the ongoing safety of our fleet," he said. Police said the crash caused the plane to burst into flames on impact. "There was a very large fireball and Queensland Fire Department did attend and extinguished the fire," Senior Sergeant Matt Forbes told reporters on Sunday. Mr Forbes said the plane crashed into a field, and the property owner heard a "loud explosion" which prompted the call to emergency services. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it would transport the recovered aircraft wreckage to its technical facilities in Canberra for examination. It urged anyone with video footage of the light plane, at any phase of the flight or in the immediate aftermath of the crash, to contact the agency. Aero Logistics confirmed it would fully co-operate with the investigation and has suspended all flight operations until further notice.
