Six On Board Fatally Injured, Authorities Say Likely On Impact

A 1934 de Havilland DH84 Dragon (similar aircraft pictured in file photo) went down Monday in a remote area of Queeensland, Australia, fatally injuring all six people on board. Authorities said that the wreckage was not recognizable as an airplane when it was found Tuesday.

The wreckage was found by an SAR helicopter in a densely wooded remote area about eight miles northwest of the Borumba Dam. The six were returning to Caboolutre from an airshow in the small town of Monto in Queensland, Australia when the accident occurred.  The pilot was identified as 68-year-old Des Porter, who was well-known in the Australian antique aircraft community. Also on board were Porter's wife Kath, and four of the couple's closest friends.

The impact site was only accessible on foot, according to a report appearing in the The Australian newspaper. The airplane went missing Monday, and the search lasted the better part of two days and involved 16 helicopters covering an area encompassing nearly 600 square nautical miles.

Porter reportedly told air traffic controllers before the accident that he had flown into clouds on the trip, and was unable to determine his location. He had manually activated an ELT before the airplane went down, according to the paper. The accident is under investigation by the Australian Transportation Safety Board.

FMI: www.atsb.gov.au