Pilot Was Confused - Farmer
The Age
Thursday January 4, 1996
Perth.
Mr Eric Dennerstein may have made a fatal error when attempting to land on the bush airstrip in Western Australia.
Mr Richard Kelsall, a Boddington farmer and a friend of the victims, said Mr Dennerstein was given specific instructions about landing but apparently became confused.
A Bureau of Air Safety spokesman said it appeared the Piper Lance clipped a tree with one of its wheels, flipped over and landed upside-down in a dam.
The plane was due to land on a property owned by Mr Brian Johns, Mr Kelsall's neighbor.
Mr Kelsall said Mr Dennerstein was told how to approach the airstrip but came in the wrong way.
``He was given pretty explicit instructions from Brian about where to land ... But he did virtually the exact opposite to what he was told," he said.
Mr Kelsall helped to pull the plane wreckage out of the dam yesterday.
``We're all pretty shocked. They were coming for lunch and were going to stay the night," he said.
``We had a wire rope on the back of the tractor and pulled it out with that, under police supervision, by the tail part.
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© 1996 The Age