21-07-2025
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."
