Goulburn Plane Wreck: Rescuers Find Two Bodies
Illawarra Mercury
Monday April 23, 2001
The bodies of a well-known harness racing identity and his female friend were found by rescuers yesterday in the wreckage of a light plane which crashed on the Southern Tablelands on Friday.
Neil Arthur, 48, from the NSW border town of Moulamein, near Swan Hill, and 46-year-old Patricia Foran from Brisbane, were killed instantly when the Beechcraft Bonanza A36 crashed next to a motor raceway near Goulburn.
Australian Search and Rescue Centre (AusSAR) spokesman Ben Mitchell said the plane left Swan Hill around 4pm on Friday headed for Goulburn after the pair was driven to the airport by Mr Arthur's wife.
They had not arrived two hours later, as expected, but a resident of Gunning, just north of Canberra, reported seeing the aircraft pass at around 5pm or 6pm, he said.
The search for the plane began soon after the alarm was raised early Saturday morning by the pilot's family.
Mr Mitchell said the wreckage of the aircraft was spread over a large area and was first sighted at 11.20am yesterday.
Mr Arthur's brother, Laurie Arthur, speaking shortly after being told of the wreckage's discovery, paid tribute to his brother, describing him as a man who lived life to the fullest and a member of the family who would be sorely missed.
``It's all over, they found the wreckage next to a motor raceway to the south of Goulburn," he said. ``There has been a high speed impact with the ground. It's only about five miles (8km) from the airport."
He said the plane his brother was flying had belonged to the family for four years.
``He had about 400 hours (flying) experience in that plane and a total of about 800 hours experience," Laurie Arthur said.
© 2001 Illawarra Mercury
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