The search for a missing De Havilland DH84 Dragon 2 ended on Wednesday when a rescue helicopter spotted the wreckage of the rare 1934 biplane in the Sunshine Coast hinterland of Australia.
Neither the 68-year-old pilot, Desmond Porter, nor the five passengers aboard the vintage airplane survived the crash.
The search mission was triggered on Monday afternoon, after the Dragon went missing while en route from the town of Monto to Caboolture Airport. The airplane had spent the first half of the day giving scenic rides at a vintage air show.
Another aircraft flying in the area picked up a distress call from the biplane around 1:00 p.m. in which the pilot said he needed help positioning himself. The airplane’s emergency beacon activated about a half hour later, but cut out shortly thereafter.
Authorities reported heavy cloud cover at the time the aircraft, certified for VFR-flight only, went missing.
The man flying the airplane reportedly survived a fatal crash of a Dragon 2 – an accident that killed both his father and brother – as a child.
