Many rumours circulated around the missing aircraft and its occupants. There was even a belief that the aircraft disappeared into the Tasman Sea. None of the rumours have any substance whatsoever.

In providing an accurate summation of what really occurred on that fateful night two important factors came in to play. The first is the grateful acknowledgement must be made to a number of local identifies whose evidence can only be considered as exemplary for without it we could not have ascertained what we have.

The second aspect was the determination of the effect that the very strong wind component had on the trajectory taken by the aircraft. This required a very careful analysis as it had a pronounced effect on where the aircraft was at a certain time. The real story began through a chance meeting with local farmer Norm Bignell we were referred to the late Sgt. Peter Anforth of the New South Wales Police Force who in turn furnished us with all the most invaluable information that included all the radio and radar communication data relative to the missing Cessna. Peter Anforth never gave up in the hope of finding his lifelong friend Ken Price who lost his life aboard the ill fated aircraft.

As a result of our endeavours Peter and I had formed a great friendship that lasted until his untimely death some years ago due to a brain tumour.

The events of that tragic flight are as follows;

On Sunday evening August 9, 1981 The Cessna 210 VH- MDX departed Coolangatta Airport a couple of minutes after 5pm and proceeded to climb steadily to its assigned altitude of 8000 feet. At 6.32pm the Cessna was overhead Port Macquarie tracking for Taree. At precisely

6.50pm the pilot Michael Hutchins reported that he was overhead Taree at 50 altitude 8000 and was estimating he would be over the Craven IFR reporting point located atop the Berrico Ridge at 7.20pm.

Up and until this stage of the flight there was nothing to indicate that anything was wrong.

Just after passing over Taree he was contacted by Sydney Flight Service as to whether he would prefer to track to Bankstown via overhead the RAAF base at Williamtown rather than his planned route of overhead Craven, Singleton thence to Bankstown. He accepted this alteration to the original planned route and awaited further instructions regarding a specified altitude to enter and exit the military airspace of Williamtown.

Due to a series of delays owing to military aircraft operations the pilot Michael Hutchins made the decision on realizing that his arrival at Bankstown would be further delayed opted to revert to his original flight planned route to Bankstown via Craven and Singleton.

At around 6.58pm the Cessna was in the vicinity but overhead Nabiac and turning toward Craven which by this time was being subject to moderate levels of turbulence.

Unbeknown to all concerned the weather frontal system that had just passed over the Barrington Tops left a trail of very unfavourable weather conditions that existed for some time over the Barrington Tops.

At 7.10pm a Mrs. Boydell travelling by car from Allynbrook to Gloucester to visit relatives reported that she observed an aircraft orbiting some distance to the west of the village of Craven. Initially she thought the aircraft was on fire but then soon recognised that it had its landing lights on. The lights died out and that was the last that she saw of the aircraft.

At precisely this time Miss Jennifer Wilton and her mother who were on their property of “Nebo” observed the same incident only to see the lights die out at or near Falkland Hill. Initially they thought that owing to the brightness of the lights that it may be an aircraft on fire but on seeing the object appear a second time realized that it was an aircraft with its landing lights on.

That same evening Miss Mandy Wilson living on the property known as “Gralyn Park” observed an aircraft tracking out in an easterly direction. Mr. Warner, a resident of Main Road, Monkerai was also a witness to this.

The next people to have observed the missing aircraft was Mr. and Mrs. Bill Laurie of Mount Mooney property just after 7.20pm that evening.

They were returning from visiting relatives at Rawdon Vale when upon opening the gate that leads to their property Mrs Lyn Laurie first noticed one of the most ominous cloud formations that she could ever remember over the Barrington Tops. It was whilst closing the gate in difficulty due to the very strong and cold wind that she noticed what appeared to be single engine light aircraft with its lights on tracking over their property having carefully noted the time that they observed the aircraft and combined with other witness accounts meant that an accurate picture was being formed in order to establish just what was beginning to evolve.

Running out of daylight, Michael Hutchins the pilot realizing he would not be able to identify visually the three large towers atop the Berrico Ridge which denotes the Craven IFR reporting point commenced to descend gradually, possibly, just overpassing Nabiac in order to gain an altitude that matched the altitude of the towers. Having descended to an altitude of some 3,300 feet he then endeavoured to use the landing lights of the aircraft to identify them. Having failed to do so after orbiting the area west of the village of Craven a couple of times turned and commenced to climb in an easterly direction in order to regain his assigned altitude of 8,000 feet. In doing so, he turned the aircraft initially in an easterly direction thence toward and just south of Gloucester. Instead of continuing to turn and head in the direction of Singleton the aircraft was in fact heading in the general direction of Scone via overhead Mt Mooney and the upper Barrington Tops area. (Dilgry Circle).

Examination of these events indicated that something had gone terribly wrong. Did the pilot deliberately alter course and if he did so why did he not inform Sydney Flight Service of his intentions being the accepted practise?

At 7.18pm the pilot Michael Hutchins reports that he is at Craven when in actual fact we have been able to determine the aircraft is tracking in a north-westerly direction and 10 nautical miles north of Craven.

At 7.22pm he reports that they are encountering considerable turbulence and a lot of downdraft activity.

At 7.23pm Michael Hutchins announces that they are in cloud and that some of the primary flight instruments that are required for flying and navigation in non-visual conditions had completely failed. In such circumstances and being an experienced pilot he was later able to determine as to the cause as to why such instruments had failed. It was the engine driven vacuum pump that operates the flight attitude and directional instruments which had failed.

Realising that he was in very difficult circumstances he requested to climb to higher altitude but was unable to do so having also determined that the external surfaces of the aircraft were icing up.

With the failure of certain primary flight instruments and exposed to complete darkness they had no idea where they were.

It was at 7.25pm that evening that Mrs. Del O’Hare observed an aircraft tracking over her homestead in the Dilgry Circle area of the Barrington Tops. The aircraft quickly disappeared in cloud but appeared to be heading in the general direction of Scone. Its lights were clearly visible before it entered cloud and was not seen again. The only aircraft confirmed to be in that area was the Cessna VH – MDX.

The late Joe Wright a resident near the Wondecla Trout Farm heard the same aircraft whilst he did not observe it due to cloud coverage stated that it appeared to be turning into a somewhat southerly direction from a point just north of the Wondecla Trout Farm. His assessment was to be totally correct.

For the pilot the situation had become far more critical when he reported by radio that his radio navigation equipment had also failed and that due to turbulence he was not able to make any sense of what direction the aircraft was heading from the magnetic compass which was swinging around due to the aircraft being subject to turbulence. Realising that he was too far west and to the north of where he should be, he requests assistance.

Recognising also, that the Cessna was in serious difficulties, Sydney Flight Service immediately enlists the services of the Sydney Radar system as well as additional assistance from the Radar complex at RAAF Williamtown.

At just after around 7.30pm Sydney Radar identifies the Cessna at 40 nms. On the singleton to Mt Sandon track then again the Cessna is identified by radar being 36 nms north of Singleton at 7.32pm. and slightly west and abeam of Moonan Brook.

Owing to increased civil aviation traffic into and out of Sydney it became necessary to obtain a greater degree of assistance from RAAF Williamtown.

Having been instructed to take up a specified heading to West Maitland as determined by radar but unable to navigate with any degree of certainty and accuracy Michael Hutchins vectors the aircraft in an easterly direction believing that he was heading in the right direction and conforming to specific instructions by Radar in order to proceed to West Maitland. Tragically this navigational error totally caused by his inability to navigate because of instrument failure was to send them over some of the most rugged and inhospitable areas of the Barrington Tops.

This sudden change in the aircrafts direction was witnessed by the late Mrs. Davis of Upper Rouchel at about 7.39pm.

Mrs Davis observed the glow of the aircraft’s lights in cloud as it past over her homestead when it suddenly turned in an easterly directon toward Mt Mulumla/Mt Cockrow.

At approximately 7.44pm Williamtown RAAF radar positively identifies the Cessna as being 45 nms. from Williamtown and on a bearing that indicated that the aircraft was in close proximity to the Mount Allyn Lookout. At this same moment in time the pilot Michael Hutchins radios that he is in strife and losing a lot of height and is now down to 7000 feet from 8500 feet. The aircraft has in fact lost 1500 feet in altitude due to severe icing up of the external surfaces of the aircraft.

Then at 7.46pm Williamtown RAAF radar once again identifies the Cessna as being over the Gloucester Tops escarpment. Michael Hutchins now in an anxious state informs Sydney Flight Service that they have lost further altitude and are now down to 6500 feet.

Forty seconds later at 7.46.40pm and in a terrified voice Michael Hutchins makes the very last transmission ever heard.. “ Mike Delta X-Ray ...5000.” Some ten seconds later the radio suddenly goes dead indicating that the aircraft had impacted with terrain resulting in a total loss of life.

Due to the accuracy of witness observations and the time that they observed the aircraft, we were able to calculate quite accurately the ground speed of the aircraft over various sections of its flight path. In addition the flight path taken by the ill fated aircraft having been established with a high degree of accuracy it has now been possible to identify the most probable area containing the wreck site.

To this day the wreckage of the Cessna VH – MDX, together with those who perished in it lies imprisoned within the peaceful confines of thick bush, and has remained undisturbed for thirty years.

Our thanks and appreciation goes to Mr Ross Warwick a senior officer with the Department of Civil Aviation now retired who was heavily involved in these tragic events and later with Captain Maxford Thompson of Qantas for verifying of the above.

A great deal of thanks and appreciation must also go to the efforts of Jim Mallan and Brian Holstein in all the previous search endeavours as indeed with many others. The hope of finding MDX has not been fulfilled as yet but the dream ’of closure’ still abides with all concerned.

We believe that genuine persons wanting to search should (1) contact the National Parks and Wildlife office in Gloucester and (2) register their names with the Gloucester Police before attempting any search operation.

- Don Readford