Fed: Missing plane in PNG will undoubtedly be found: PNG pilot

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-2009
Fed: Missing plane in PNG will undoubtedly be found: PNG pilot

CANBERRA, Aug 12 AAP - An experienced commercial pilot in Papua New Guinea says a missing
plane with 13 people aboard will undoubtedly be found, but it's strange the emergency
beacon did not go off.

Eight Australian trekkers and a tour guide on their way to walk the iconic Kokoda Track
were aboard Airlines PNG flight CG4684 from Port Moresby to Kokoda on Tuesday but the
plane failed to reach its destination.

There are grave fears for all on board the missing Twin Otter aircraft.

The plane's emergency beacon signal has not been picked up yet but Kiunga Aviation
chief pilot Richard Leahy told ABC Radio on Wednesday that the plane would undoubtedly
be found.

"Oh they'll find it, there's no doubt about that at all. It's sort of a bit strange
that no beacon went off really. The beacons are generally set into the tail and the tail
is normally the least most damaged part of the aircraft in a crash," he said.

"It might mean that it was cleaned up by a tree or something as he went into the trees,
and got knocked out or something - it doesn't say anything specifically, it just means
that it's not going off and it should be."

Mr Leahy, who has 40 years experience flying in PNG, said there would not have been
much air traffic in the area and he described the flying conditions as cloudy on Tuesday
morning, the day the plane disappeared.

But it wasn't uncommon for planes to fly around above the clouds until it cleared in
the valley, making it safer for pilots to land, he said.

"It might be a beautiful, fine day, but the valleys, you get cloud in the valley and
it sort of stays there until the sun burns it off."

Mr Leahy said the missing plane was old but would have been well maintained.

"They're a pretty old sort of an aeroplane, but they're in perfect condition, they're
very, very meticulously maintained and there would be absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong
with the aeroplane."

Authorities are to resume the search for the missing plane on Wednesday morning.

AAP srj/ldj/de

KEYWORD: PNG PLANE PILOT

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