The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 4

4 THE AGE WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER 1991 The Raaf Crash Pictures: RAY KENNEDY Air force grounds 707 fleet Largest aircraft to crash in Australian area i 4. 5 Searchers combed Woodside The aircraft, built in 1975, belonged to Saudi Airlines before being bought by the RAAF from the Boeing Military Aircraft Corporation In the United States in 1988. Another in the fleet was also previously used by Saudi Airlines, while the other four earlier-model Boeings belonged to Qantas. The aircraft was part of the No. 33 Squadron based at Richmond.

Planes in the squadron can carry up to 160 passengers and are olten used to carry troops and equipment from the RAAF's Sale and Richmond bases to exercises all over the world. The officer in command of the Richmond base, Air Commodore Stan Clarke, said last night that, apart from a crash in Western Australia In 1961 the RAAF had never had any problems with its Boeings- Divers recovered one of the plane's flight navigational units about four hours after the crash. Salvage crews were sent in to collect debris, much of which had drifted more than four kilometres because of strong currents. Defence Force members remained at the scene overnight and will resume a full-scale search tor the four missing men. About 50 Defence Force members were brought in to comb the Ninety Mile Beach, collecting debris.

Two army trucks carried sections of twisted metal recovered by divers and land searchers. By JACQUI MACDONALD, transport raportar The Boeing 707 that crashed Into the ocean off Glppsland yesterday was the largest aircraft to crash In Australian territory. The plane was built in 1975 for Saudi Air. It was bought by the RAAF in 1988 and used for general interstate and overseas transport or VIP flights. A spokesman for Boeing, Mr David Rowntree, said It was one of 996 Boeing 707 aircraft delivered throughout the world.

By 30 July this year, only 440 were still in service; 132 had been involved In accidents, sabotage incidents, terrorist attacks or war action, he said. The remainder had been removed from service and scrapped. The RAAF had six 707s, most bought from Qantas in the 1970s, and one of which was the Prime Minister's personal jet. The Boeing was only the third jet aircraft to crash in Australia. The last was a Cessna Citation, which crashed Into Mount Emerald, north Queensland, in May 1990, killing all 11 people on board.

In October 1985, two pilots were killed when an Israeli-built Westwlnd nosedived into the sea off Sydney. Australia's worst civil aviation disaster occurred 23 years ago when a propeller-driven Mac-Robertson Miller Airlines plane crashed off Port Hedland, Western Australia, killing 26 people. A 1990 report compiled by the federal Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics found that aviation accidents cost Australia $45 million a year, an average of $138,000 an accident. The main costs were In lost earnings, which amounted to $22 million, and $14 million for aircraft loss or damage. Yesterday's accident was the third fatal RAAF crash this year.

On 5 August, two flight crew were killed when their plane crashed during a training exercise near the Sale base. They were flying a single-engine PC-9 advanced trainer. It was the first accident in Australia involving the aircraft, which the RAAF has been using for two years. In June, an F-18 from No. 75 Squadron at Tlndal, in the Northern Territory, disappeared over the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Its pilot has not been found. In April, an RAAF pilot died when his Orion search aircraft crashed into the sea off the Cocos Islands. fl i I trace of the crashed 707. am Melbourne "amf5 Cw-J i JlfJ RAAF 707 arrives from Richmond air base, NSW, for exercises over Gippsland Aircraft lurches appears to lose and altitude I W7J A yaws to right dives into sea at angle ol about 60' offshore 323 hi iiin -inn i ti- i iW and power Smoke comes from at least one engine ngnt side Witnesses hear at least one underwater explosion If 'St Aircraft and an 1 km -r-" '5f Smoke poured from engine as plane dived into the sea New Pintara Sedan and Superhatch. odcoId'Sdoitddoi Beach yesterday afternoon for any Fabulous Performing Pintara is best featured medium car on the your local Nissan Dealer for a Camry Exec.

Sedan, Pinlara Exec. Sedan and Pintara featured. JitTMW' WiJa 01 Grdphc JAME BROWN and BHENIX3N HtLL almighty into the water." Within an hour, the beach had been transformed Into something resembling a military base as police, the State Emergency Service, soldiers, sailors and and air force members converged on the makeshift headquarters the Woodside Beach Surf Life Saving Club. The skies above the crash site were filled with a dozen helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft as a massive search began. By then, the only traces to be seen of the Boeing Windsor 380 were widespread debris and a kilometre-long oil slick.

Squadron Loader Mark Lewin, 34, originally from central Victoria. Married with a three-year-old son and twins aged two-and-a-half months. Sixteen years' RAAF service. Completed flight training in May 1981. Joined 33 Squadron in January 1989.

Flight Lieutenant Tim Ellit, 31, from NSW. Married, no children. Ten years in RAAF. Complete flight training In October 1982. Joined 33 Squadron In September 1989.

Flight Lieutenant Mark Duncan, 27, from Victoria. Married, no children. RAAF service of 10 years. Completed flight training in July 1986. Joined 33 Squadron in September 1989.

Warrant Officer John Fawcett 38, from NSW. Married with one-year-old son. In RAAF 17 years. Completed flight training In August' 1983. Joined 33 Sauadron In July 1989.

Warrant Officer Al Owyimt, 43, of Brisbane. Married with two daughters, aged seven and four. Raaf service of 25 years. Finished flight' trslnmg mkJ-1977. Joined 33 Squadron In February 1988.

NYA Meg Bv HUGO KELLY, ANTONY CATALANO and ANDREW BOCK "It disappeared from view and a split second later there were two almighty explosions," said Marianne Tyben, describing yesterday's crash of an RAAF Boeing 707. Mrs Tyben moved Into Wood-side Beach, one ol the state's more tranquil seaside holiday places, just four weeks ago. Yesterday she watched as 15 tonnes of aircraft shattered the peace of the seaside village. Mrs Tyben was pottering around the caravan park she runs with her husband Alby about 11.50 am when she saw an unusually large plane flying low over the water. "I looked because It was a much bigger plane than we normally see around here.

We often see air force planes doing exercises around here, but there was something different about this one." She was standing near to her house-cum-general store when the plane appeared over a dune, blocking her view of the beach. "It was going very slowly and quite low. It seemed to be struggling to gain altitude and suddently It dipped to the right and spiralled towards the sea." She saw what appeared to be a lot of "very grey" smoke coming from one of the two starboard engines. The aircraft disappeared from her view and a split second later there were two explosions as It hit the water, three kilometres offshore. "They were huge explosions.

It An alr jorct officer inside a Mrs Marianne Tyben: "two was pretty frightening," she said. Michael Roberts was walking his dog along the beach when he heard what he thought was a thunderclap. He looked up to see what he described as "this huge, bird-like shape of a plane with swept-back wings going Into the "I couldn't believe my eyes. When It hit the water, I thought It was a major airliner and IS people would have died." By this time, Mrs Tyber had raced over the dunes. "By the time I got to the top of the sand, there was nothing to see.

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