1930S BIPLANE WITH SIX ON BOARD DISAPPEARS IN AUSTRALIA

Post date: Oct 02, 2012 11:4:2 AM

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is coordinating a search for a 1930s biplane that disappeared over Queensland with six people on board.

AUSTRALIA-PLANE-MISSING - Pilot Des Porter was flying his red 1934 De Havilland DH84 Dragon biplane with five passengers from an air show in Monto to Caboolture, 44 kilometers (27 miles) north of Brisbane, on Monday afternoon.

Porter issued a distress call to Brisbane air traffic control and activated an emergency beacon when he could not find a gap in the clouds. It is believed he also ran out of fuel at this time. The signal from the emergency beacon was lost shortly after.

Porter, 68, was an experienced pilot who had flown for more than two decades. When he was 10 he survived a crash in a De Havilland Dragon that killed his father and brother. Porter’s De Havilland DH84 Dragon is reportedly only one of four in the world.

SOURCE: Sunshine Coast Daily, The Australian

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