Transcript of VHMDX radio transmission

Three killed as rookie pilot flies into bad weather

Article from the Herald newspaper 15/09/08

A pilot had taken off from Scone with his newly bought plane and into atrocious conditions in a bold bid to get home to Queensland. The plane a single engine Cessna 206 was discovered atop a ridge near Hanging Rock 55 kilometres North East of Scone.


NRMA Careflight spokesman Ian Badham said the plane had come down through the trees. The planes wings had been torn off on impact he said.

The plane before the crash.

Wreckage photo taken by Careflight helicopter.

Another tragic plane crash near the Barrington Tops. The reason I've posted these Before and after photos of the crash is to give searchers an idea of what condition MDX might be found in. Would it be intact or like the photo demonstrates, would it be scattered over an area with the wings torn off. With years of exposure to the elements and foliage making it impossible to distinguish from it's surroundings

I'm not the only one

When writing this blog i received emails from various people who in one way or another were involved with the search for MDX. In this post i thought i would share with everyone some of the emails from other searchers including their search areas, ideas and thoughts on the subject of where MDX could have crashed. After reading these notes it can only open up more discussion and maybe add another piece to the jigsaw.



The adventure continues...Nev




email from: Dave Whiteman
subject: MDX

Neville,

In August 1981 I was a police officer attached to the Communications Section of the NSW Police Force in Sydney. I was also a licensed pilot at the time and was an Officer in the RAAF Reserves at RAAF Richmond. I was also in the Hunter Valley on the day VH-MDX went missing. I heard about it on the car radio as i returned to Sydney and the next day i was directed by Superintendant Aldred, The OIC of the Disaster and Rescue branch to provide aviation background to him and his team who were by then involved in the search. I also knew Ken Price who was onboard MDX. I was given a tape of the radio conversation between ATC and MDX to study and i was asked to plot the track from information on the tape. I still have a copy of the tape. The disaster and rescue branch set up an OP's room where the search was co-ordinated from. I plotted the probable track of the aircraft from the radio conversation and as a pilot and RAAF operations officer with extensive navigation and flight planning skills, I was in a good position to provide an accurate plot of the aircrafts track.

I was able to estimate the possible location where the aircraft crashed and this information was conveyed to the Police Air Wing who sent an officer to see what my assessment was. He all but dismissed my assessment of where the aircraft was and i could see that the Air Wing and other rescue personnel had convinced themselves that the aircraft was in a totally different area. They had based this information on an eyewitness report, I think this was the one you have, by Mrs Dell O'hare. Contrary to the police not investigating this report, this is what they based their search upon. I submitted that at the time she claimed she saw the aircraft it was in fact at 9,000 feet in heavy cloud and she could not have possibly seen it by looking out her window.

Anyway, to cut a long story short. They never looked in the area i reckoned was the probable crash site and i even spoke to Peter Anforth a couple of years before he died and he dismissed my assessment saying the aircraft was in Chichester Dam.

I still have an interest in MDX, as does my son who is also a pilot, and indeed there is a police officer stationed at Bulahdelah who has been searching for it for years. I hope one day they find it and clear up the mystery.

Cheers

Dave Whiteman

P.S. I also worked at Manly Police Station in the 1970's and often patrolled down at the wharf. I fondly remember the old South Steyne.

Interview with John Tonitto of BWRS

• For those of you who don't know him, John is one of the original searchers for MDX and was my first point of contact when i first began researching this mystery. John kindly accepted my invitation for a short interview by email.
  
  


• John, can you tell us a little about yourself.
  
  
  I am the secretary of the BWRS and have been a member since 1982. Our group has been involved in the search for MDX since its disappearance in 1981 and was first involved in the original Operation Barrington Tops. I have been fascinated with this mystery since i completed my first search for it in 1982 and have been involved ever since.
  
  


• What is the BWRS and what is it's role.
  
  BWRS is Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad formerly known as Bushwalkers Search and Rescue. We are a specialist remote area search group of the VRA ( Volunteer Rescue Association) and accredited by the state rescue board of NSW. BWRS was formed in 1936 and is one of the oldest land search groups involved in searching for and rescuing, if necessary, members of the public as directed by the NSW Police.
  
  


• How many people are in the organisation.
  
  We currently have 55 members.
  
  


• How long have you been involved in the search for MDX.
  
  As ground crew since 1982 and moved slowly into the role of organising searches with other agencies based on input from experts in interpreting the final transcripts of MDX.
  
  


• What areas are you conducting your search in and why.
  
  As you may be aware, there is very little information to go on based on radar fixes and the unknown time period or direction after those fixes. Best guesses are used and with navigation software search areas are established. Currently we are looking in the Allyn and Paterson river systems.
  
  


• Can you tell us how you conduct your search.
  
  A search area is divided into what we believe are manageable areas for a weekend team. Given the steepness of the terrain and thickness of vegetation at times, a team can search approx 500 square metres over a weekend.
  
  


• Can anyone join the BWR and help search for the plane.
  
  BWRS accepts anyone that has bush skills and can remain self contained in the field for 72 hours.
  
  


• What do the need to do.
  
  They can contact me on secretary@bwrs.org.au
  
  


• What do you think happened to MDX.
  
  I believe given the conditions and the audio tape that it crashed under very difficult conditions. The problem for a search party is that had it crashed headlong into ground that the resultant debris would be about 1 metre to 1.5 metre diameter hole. If it paralleled the ground before impact then more debris ( wings etc) will be found.
  
  


• Why do you think there is so much interest in the plane after all these years.
  
  I am not sure what might drive others, but to find the oldest domestic aviation accident in Australia and solve the cause of it would be of major interest.
  
  


• What keeps you coming back year after year.
  
  I like to believe that all incidents in the bush are resolved. So i would love to solve the mystery and bring closure for the families.

Audio of vhmdx

On the right of the screen you can click the link to hear the audio recording of MDX and Sydney Air Traffic Control. to hear it you will be directed to the website called "Twango" hosting the Mp3. You have to download the file to listen to it. Unfortunately the quality is not that good as it was transferred from an old cassette tape given to me by John Gleaves. A mate from work "Ken Walsh" who is a guru at this kind of stuff tried to clean it up as much as he could before transferring it to disc and converting it to mp3. It runs for roughly eight minutes, the whole conversation go's for thirty two minutes. between 4.00 and 4.10 minutes you can hear the pilots last words in an agitated voice " 5,000 "
You may be able decipher whats going on but if you cant, the written transcript is still on the earlier blog posts.

Nev

Election weekend Search

Liberal, Labor, Lantana.

The winner is LANTANA.

Here are some photos of our election weekend search.

Another grid square ticked off the map and still no closer to finding the plane. When i go searching i don't think about finding the plane anymore. It's just bush walking with a purpose, a navigation exercise. In the early years i would dream of coming up to Barrington tops and finding MDX. The novelty soon wore off,but i still keep coming back. Mainly due to the optimism of the the boys who are always fired up to keep going no matter what. This search is as much theirs as it is mine.

The boys were swinging their machetes back and forth like wild men as we cut our way down stream. A "debate" about the direction we were going had me swallowing humble pie as the navigation of Andrew, Craig and Gareth was spot on. Delivering us right back to our last position on our previous walk.

With their usual thoroughness Craig and Gareth left no stone unturned as they hacked through vines,lantana and stinging nettles. Dropping into the valley the hills started to close in on us and walking became difficult. Craig went arse over a log with Gareth following suit soon after. Only some serious tree hugging stopped him falling further down the hill. I would have liked to help but my stomach hurt from pissing myself with laughter to be of any use.

On a couple of occasions throughout the day i thought we were going to be flicking the switch on the E.P.I.R.B. when Craig slipped on a rock in the creek. In one of those cartoon banana peel trip ups. Craig's legs went above his head and he landed flat on his back. His back pack was the only thing that broke his fall and prevented him from cracking his skull on the rocks. The other was near the end of our walk when Gareth nearly stood on a Tiger snake. Whoever said that snakes move out of the way when they feel you coming is full of shit. This snake held his ground until we skirted around him. By mid afternoon we reached our cut off point and began our climb up the mountain just in time for the rain to make our walk back to base camp all that more memorable.

It's a good moment when you finally get back to camp with a hot meal under your belt, dry clothes and have a laugh at what might have been.

Oil slick found on water surface

This is the official finding on the oil slick that was found floating on the water the day after MDX went missing. It was suggested that the plane had crashed into Chichester dam and the oil slick was a result of that crash.

Newspaper articles

Sponsors

www.resqfirstaid.blogspot.com

resqfirstaid@gmail.com

Mob: 0403 928 288

Search team

Sam R.I.P.



Jeff Peck " Finder of the elusive African barking spider"



Jack Dennard

Andrew Mcgilvray & Gareth Wastell

Craig Rye "the machine"

Nev Dennard "chief cook and bottle washer"

The following people have all been involved in the search for MDX in the early years or on the current expeditions. When I've lost interest in the search or just wanted to give up. These guys keep providing me with the Inspiration and the motivation to keep looking.

They are:

Craig Rye

Andrew McGilvray

Gareth Wastell

Jack Dennard

Jeff Peck

Paul Adams

Special mention goes to Jeff Peck who is always there when i need him. His generosity knows no bounds. I cant thank him enough for all the support he has given me over the years. Craig Rye for his determination to push through obstacles physical and mental. Everyone should have a Craig Rye on their expedition. Lastly to my wife kim. Without her support none of this would be possible. She has spent countless hours listening to my theories, spreading my maps over the dining room table, my sudden trips to the library or spending all day chasing leads from Wollongong to the Gummi plains. She is a very special woman.

Repair Log

Conversations

• Conversation with Bette May Diver. Witness to flare sightings on the night of the plane crash.

Bette was driving over the bridge at Glenwilliam at approximately 10 pm when she saw a white light over the mountains North West of Dungog. Her daughter Lyn was lying asleep next to her.She woke her daughter up and said did you see that. The white light seemed to stay up in the sky and then slowly drop and then seemed to "fold into itself". She turned onto Alison road where she could get a clearer view of the night sky. When she and her daughter saw the second white light do exactly the same as the first light.

• Conversation with Mrs Dell O'hare. Gummi Plain, 12 miles from Hunter Springs

Mrs O'hare was talking to her sister on the phone that night at around 7:00 - 7:30 pm. She heard a roaring of an engine, the sound was oscillating. She looked out her window, the weather was bad that night but there were clear patches. She looked out the window and saw the planes lights. She thought it odd that the plane was going in a direction that planes that usually go overhead dont follow. Her sighting was never investigated by police.

Conspiracy theories

Mike Hutchins Pilot of VH-MDX which crashed on the 9th of August 1981 and the victim of a second air crash had worked for a Sydney company that helped develop a top secret sonar defence system to detect russian submarines. Hutchins and Stuart Sims were employed as engineers by Electronic Systems and Management Services of North Sydney and were party to the Official Secrets Act.

Sim's died on the 27th of December 1980 when the Piper Tomahawk he was flying crashed into Lake Macquarie. An article in the "Australian" newspaper said that the commercial manager of ESMS rejected any suggestion that the deaths of Hutchins and Sims were related to the work in which they were both involved.

This is just one of the many theories that make up the mystery surrounding the dissappearance of MDX. In all the years of research on this subject I have heard them all. They were gun running, transporting drugs,someone even told me that there was a bloke who knew a bloke who knew a journalist that had a photo of the plane sitting on the runway of Darwin airport two days later. Another one was that the plane crashed into Chichester dam because there was an oil slick found on the water surface. Well that theory was also blown out of the water so to speak. A sample was taken and analysed and found to be a type of algae bloom. No traces of aeroplane oil or fuel was found.

Everyone loves a mystery including me. These stories about drugs and guns spice up the story but the facts remain that it was an accident where contributing factors all played their parts in the tradgedy. The pilot was offered an alternate route, He did'nt want to wait for clearance. He continued on his original track. The winds over the mountains that night were 70 knots. Only a pilot or a sailor would understand how powerful those winds were. Add ice on the wings plus faulty navigational equipment and you had a recipe for disaster.

A book I can recommend to read is "Crash - the search for the Stinson" or "Green Valley by Bernard O'reilly" You realise that normal people get caught up in the hysteria of the event and want to believe they heard or saw something. I remember reading that at least a dozen or so people swore they saw the Stinson fly overhead in the Sydney or Hawkesbury area. When in fact the Stinson crashed in the Lamington state forest in Queensland only an hour into its flight.

So stay sceptical and remember that Newspaper information is never to be trusted.

Search summary August 1981

Search Areas

In the air:

• Search area covered 20 mile radius from Berrico trig.







• From Nundle to Nowendoc in the north to Warkworth and Clarencetown in the south.







• Eleven fixed wing aircraft and ten helicopters contour searched the mountains.







• 412 hrs of air search conducted.

On the ground:

• Bushwalkers wilderness rescue







• Police and S.W.O.S. units







• State emergency service







• Army reservists







• Forestry rangers







• 4WD clubs and motorcycle riders







• RAAF photo reconnaissance of area







• Landsat satellite to scan the search area

Over 400 people involved in the largest ever civilian search and rescue of its time.

Seach conducted from the 9th to the 18th of August 1981.

Air Safety Investigation Report

Last observed radar position

Flight Plan

The Terrain

On numerous walks through Barrington tops on my own and with my mates we've seen the extremes of this wilderness. From triple canopy rainforest to scrub you have to hack through with a machete. Covering sometimes as little as five kilometres in a day. Climbing up the sides of hills with a slope of forty five degrees in forty degree heat. Walking past creek beds with the ice cracking under your feet and icicles on the trees. I've lost count of how many times we've lost our way when we were'nt concentrating. Every time we come back from a search theres always a debrief about lessons learned on the walk.

On every search we now carry a GME EPIRB, GARMIN GPS, flares, maps, first aid kit, marker tape and I leave a copy of my planned walk with my wife.

Always on the lookout for a smarter (lazy) way to do things I decided I would charter a plane to speed up my search of an area. I found a pilot who early one Saturday morning took me over the tops lifting off from Scone aerodrome. We ran the length of area i needed to check out but even with the pilots considerable skill at low level flying we only got a fleeting look over the terrain. Whilst flying back over the tops the pilot forgot to mention to me that we were in an acrobatic plane. He then proceeded to do a couple of "barrel rolls" With me screaming like a girl. The newspaper headlines flashed in front of my eyes. " Plane lost while looking for lost plane".

It would be nice to have some funding to organise some serious " Quickbird" satellite imagery. But until then the only way this plane is going to be found is on foot with a systematic deletion of a grid area.

The Bushwalkers wilderness rescue uses this technique every year in their annual search and rescue training on Barrington tops.

Speaking of deletion of grid areas. A bloke from work named Dave Warland gave me the idea back in 2002 to delete hundreds of hectares out of the equation. Since the area is state forest, why dont i ask the state forests department for a map of all the areas logged since 1981. On the assumption that if an area was logged and the plane was in there it would have been found. This brilliant idea helped to remove quite a few hundred hectares off the maps.

Aircraft Incidents on or around Barrington tops

• 16-04-45 Mosquito A52-70 Aeroplane hill
  
  
• 30-10-47 Hudson VH-SMH 2KM S E Muswellbrook
  
  
• 02-09-48 DC3 VH-ANK Square peak
  
  
• 14-09-54 Hudson VH-SML 6KM E C hichester
  
  
• 25-09-67 Mirage A3-52 Berrico trig
  
  
• 16-08-68 C172c VH-DNK 28KM E Scone
  
  
• 03-04-73 Mirage A3-77 8KM S Gloucester
  
  
• 14-06-75 Piper Cher VH-WIK 27KM N W Scone
  
  
• 13-05-76 Beech Mis VH-MJA 45KM E S E Scone
  
  
• 18-01-79 Piper Cher VH-SYN 40KM S Quirindi
  
  
• 22-03-79 C172n VH-KNA 13KM E Quirindi
  
  
• 02-07-80 C172n VH-FOX 22KM N E Coolah
  
  
• 09-08-81 C210 VH-MDX .................................
  
  
• 13-12-81 Beech 35 VH-FBM 15KM N E Cassils
  
  
• 11-11-82 Piper Cher VH-UDX Gloucester

• 15-09-08 Cessna 206 55km NE of Scone
  

Cessna details

A picture of a Cessna 210 (Not VH-MDX)

Cessna 210 specifications

Cessna T210 Turbo System Centurion

Cessna Aircraft Company U.S.A.

Type L/A light aviation

1966

285 H.P. Continental TS10-520-c-tp

Wing span 36.9 ft / 11.20 M

Length 28.3 ft / 8.61 M

Height 9.7 ft / 2.92 M

Empty weight 1880 lb / 853 KG

Max take off weight 3800 lb / 1724 KG

Max speed 168 mph / 270 KM

Cruising speed 158 mph / 254 KM

Range 585 miles / 941 KL

Ceiling 13,300 ft / 4054 M

Crew 1

Passangers 6

VH - MDX Details

Serial number 21061678

Continental engine 10-520-1-3A

Mc Cauley propeller D3A32C88

Serial number 768686