November 1  2006
Boyne Island business man Tim Straatmans lost his 22-year-old son Luke when the aircraft he was in impacted the ground at high speed approaching Gladstone in QLD at night in poor weather IFR conditions

Also on board the ill-fated flight was x-Kiwi and professional pilot Brendon Rassie - Luke's flying instructor - and a Gladstone local Keith Suter

Early media reports suggest there was some type of mechanical failure - possibly an engine

News Desk Comment

Straatmans had recently purchased the 10-seat Piper Navajo for use in his gas and pipeline business and was no doubt intending to create a job for his son flying the high performance piston-powered twin in his business activities

There was a similar situation in the Lockhart River accident in May 2005 where a father was 'helping' his son gain flying experience by purchasing an airline business to foster this son's ambitions


Click HERE for that 2005 News Desk Report

November 2  2006
A turbine powered Bell 206 Jetranger helicopter with two persons on board has crashed on Palm Island west of Yamba in New South Wales

 
A 47-year-old male was taken to hospital in a serious condition with head injuries - the 57-year-old pilot was treated for minor injuries

November 4  2006
A 6-seat Cessna C185 float-plane with 2 persons on board unintentionally ended up on the embankment of the Gordon River in Tasmania injuring the pilot's back

 
The uninjured passenger walked some distance from the accident site - around 58km south east of Strahan - seeking help before a Police Launch was able to rescue him