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Matthew Delahunty

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Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« on: February 20, 2017, 09:01:50 PM »
For those who haven't yet heard, there was an incident this morning when a private charter plane taking off from Essendon Airport in Melbourne destined for King Island suffered a catastrophic engine failure and crashed into a nearby shopping centre precinct, killing all on board. 


It is believed that the charter was carrying a golfing party and there is speculation that it may have included American tourists.


Reports are that Cape Wickham has accounted for all its guests due today but not all Ocean Dunes guests had arrived.



My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2017, 11:28:21 PM by Matthew Delahunty »

John Cowden

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2017, 11:08:27 PM »
Frightening.  May God bless.

Greg Gilson

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2017, 01:47:59 AM »

Matthew is correct. Australian pilot & 4 (apparently) US golfers have been killed in this sad incident. The charter company involved was Corporate & Leisure Aviation...not one of the "normal" KI charter operators, as far as I know. We have 1 group down at KI right now & 3 more groups heading off in the next month. Fielding lots of calls right now from nervous passengers.


Only positive from this tragedy is that it occurred before the shopping centre opened & there were no fatalities from those on the ground.


My thoughts are with the families of all those involved.

Adam Lawrence

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2017, 03:18:53 AM »
Three victims named as Glenn Garland, Russell Munsch and Greg de Haven, all apparently Austin-based. Their trip was apparently arranged, and the plane chartered, by Golf Select, Gary Lisbon's company.


Thinking about all involved this morning.
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Scott Warren

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2017, 07:38:49 AM »
I notice that Barnbougle Dunes has posted condolences on Facebook noting that the golfers on this flight were heading there, not to King Island.


Adam Lawrence

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2017, 07:48:53 AM »
I notice that Barnbougle Dunes has posted condolences on Facebook noting that the golfers on this flight were heading there, not to King Island.


They were heading to King Island first, and then Barnbougle later.
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

RJ_Daley

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2017, 10:56:03 AM »
It is interesting how this strikes a chord with we intrepid golf seekers on GCA.com.  Of course we all extend sympathies to their loved ones who bid them bon voyage as they set off on a dream golf vacation.


But the reality of the thing is that they could have just as likely (perhaps even greater percentage of likelyhood) have been traveling to a local Austin golf club in a van and had a horrendous crash on the freeway. 
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Mike_DeVries

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2017, 11:14:53 AM »
This is very sad and a tragic event.  I am not familiar with the pilot or his charter service but have flown many times to KI on 10-seater King Island Airlines planes and each time the flight was smooth and uneventful.  Same in the larger planes on Rex out of Tullamarine or Sharp to mainland Tassie.

My thoughts and prayers to all the families and friends of those who passed.

David Wuthrich

Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2017, 06:04:07 PM »
Thoughts and prayers to my fellow Texans.  May you rest in peace!

Scott Weersing

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #10 on: February 21, 2017, 06:33:35 PM »
I saw this and I wondered, how many people even know there is a golf course on King Island?


I hope that the course is successful and that GCA golfers continue to visit.

William_G

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #11 on: February 21, 2017, 07:15:47 PM »
speculation from another Beechcraft pilot that the fuel pump boost was NOT TURNED ON for takeoff
« Last Edit: February 22, 2017, 10:30:35 AM by William_G »
It's all about the golf!

cary lichtenstein

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2017, 08:21:07 AM »
I've always had a fear of small planes and helicopters. Actually, small planes are safer as they can usually glide to a safe landing. Sad story.
Live Jupiter, Fl, was  4 handicap, played top 100 US, top 75 World. Great memories, no longer play, 4 back surgeries. I don't miss a lot of things about golf, life is simpler with out it. I miss my 60 degree wedge shots, don't miss nasty weather, icing, back spasms. Last course I played was Augusta

Marty Bonnar

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2017, 09:46:31 AM »
Quite irrelevant and slightly tasteless that we should be discussing this and reporting on speculation here. Think the thread should probably be deleted.
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Ari Techner

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2017, 01:08:34 PM »
Quite irrelevant and slightly tasteless that we should be discussing this and reporting on speculation here. Think the thread should probably be deleted.


I totally agree.  What an utterly classless post above.  I think at this point the thread has served its purpose.  Thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of all involved.

mike_beene

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2017, 12:34:33 AM »
At lunch today at my club several of the people I was with were friends with these guys and some were business colleagues  and spoke very highly of them. One of the Dallas National guys new a few from there and we have some people back and forth to Austin GC. To a person they were highly regarded. It is a small world and a reminder that a thread like this has likely been read by family or at least close friends. It sounds like people were appreciative of how kind the Australians have been. I barely knew one of them who used to play at my club but thought I would post the genuine nice things I heard from some sources I know and trust.

Josh Stevens

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Re: Melbourne plane crash - King Island bound
« Reply #16 on: February 27, 2017, 03:53:34 AM »
With the greatest respect and compassion to the families of those we lost - I'm not sure its tasteless, but rather an examination of some salient facts.  Yes tasteless and baseless speculation happens, that's life but what do we take from this?

The discussion in Australia of this incident, at least amongst the golfing fraternity, aside from the tragic loss of some globetrotting soul mates, was the implication for remote golf?

Barnbougle is accessible from Melbourne with Qantas, and once there, you have a whole state to go and play in afterward - its all very vanilla.  King Island on the other hand, is just golf and sheep and only accessible via small charter aircraft..   So there were from the start, always questions about the financial viability given the cost of getting there and then the lack of other entertainment and tourism options once golf was done. 

Safety was never part of that discussion at the start, but sadly, now it is, and so as the saying goes, we must deal with the world as we find it, not as we would wish it to be.

I'm no aviator, so I haven't the faintest idea whether small planes are bad or not, but we have all seen "Rainman" and "Qantas never crashed" and so alas this cannot but place doubt in the minds of those timid souls who were thinking of going, but now may not.  I was among them, but I'm booking a friggin ticket.

Remote golf works in the US, because its a big country, but you have lots of people.  Australia is as big as the US, but with less than the population of Texas so the economics are a bit different

Your remote golf is inland, so driving is always an option.  King Island is..... an island, so getting there is tricky.  There is a ship, but its only weekly, and even then, its 100 miles across Bass Straight which are the some of the biggest, wildest and most dangerous seas on the planet - just ask the 5 boats that sank and the 6 sailors who died during the 98 Sydney-Hobart yacht race.

Good on them for having a go - so rather than mourn the lost, lets celebrate that they lived well and had adventures. Beats dying in bed any day.


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