Airline Defends Safety Record
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday June 3, 2000
Whyalla Airlines vowed to resume flights next week as it defended its safety record and the 21-year-old pilot of its plane that crashed off South Australia's coast.
A second day of intensive searching of Spencer Gulf yesterday failed to locate wreckage of the twin-engine light plane that crashed on Wednesday night or the six people still missing.
Police yesterday identified two bodies recovered from the crash at 1am Thursday as those of Peter and Wendy Olsen, cousins of SA Premier John Olsen, but the remaining six people were presumed dead.
Among the six was the pilot of the Piper Chieftain, Ben Mackiewicz.
Aviation identities, including former Civil Aviation Safety Authority chairman Dick Smith, yesterday questioned whether Mr Mackiewicz, 21, was sufficiently experienced to pilot a commuter flight.
Mr Mackiewicz issued a mayday call about 7pm (CST) on Wednesday, saying both engines of the plane had failed about 15 nautical miles south of Whyalla.
Victorian-born Mr Mackiewicz had flown for Whyalla Airlines for 17 months and had more than 2000 hours flying experience.
Whyalla Airlines managing director Chris Brougham fought back tears at a media conference yesterday when defending Mackiewicz and the family-owned airline established 10 years ago.
Asked if a 21-year-old was too young to pilot a commuter flight, Mr Brougham replied: ``I don't believe that 21 is too young.
``It's more important to know that I have got a pilot who has been adequately trained and who has got sufficient experience.
``If he had been 35 (years old) with the same hours of experience, I don't think it would have made any difference.
``We've never used age as a criteria ... we've used experience.
``We have had a number of pilots join us as 20-year-olds, as Ben did."
© 2000 Illawarra Mercury
