NEWS DESK
Death crash: The stricken gyrocopter at Rutherford Inlet, near Cannons Creek. Picture: Donna Oates, Pakenham Gazette
Videos may hold clue to air tragedy Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au POLICE are investigating whether any video footage was taken by a gyrocopter pilot before his fatal crash at Cannons Creek on Sunday last week. They are also seeking anyone who may have witnessed or filmed the incident. Carl Solomons, 59, of Patterson Lakes, died when his Cavalon twin-seater aircraft hit power lines and crashed into shallow water on a flight between Tyabb airfield and Tooradin. His passenger, 37, of Hampton Park, was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries. Neighbours waded and paddled out to assist the stricken men despite the risk of electrocution from the fallen power lines, prompting Casey CIU Detective Senior Sergeant Terry Rowlands to describe them as “heroes”. Minimum flying heights for gyrocopters in Australia are 300 feet – much higher than the power lines – but Australian Sports Rotorcraft
Association president Paul Campbell said “extenuating circumstances, such as engine problems or illness to himself or his passenger” – may have necessitated the lower altitude. Mr Solomons was a member of the association as well as Peninsula Aero Club’s only gyrocopter pilot. He regularly posted videos of his flights online, raising speculation that he may also have recorded his last flight. Detectives say videos “are one of the lines of inquiry that need to be canvassed”. Any footage found may contribute to finding the cause of the 12.15pm crash. In one recent flight, Mr Solomons appears to be flying at low altitude over beaches at Inverloch and Venus Bay. Attached dialogue suggests he was “trying to warn swimmers of five rips” in the area. A post mortem last week was reportedly assessing whether the grandfather was experiencing any significant health issues in the lead up to the crash. Casey CIU can be called on 9705 3111 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.
MP calls for dam land handover MORNINGTON MP David Morris has called on state Environment Minister Lisa Neville to save the South East Water reservoir land at Mt Eliza from housing and turn it into a reserve. His surprise call was made in the Parliament last week and follows a state government-appointed planning panel recently ruling in favour of the 2.8-hectare decommissioned reservoir on the corner of Barmah and Kanya roads near Kunyung Rd being used for houses. Last Friday, Mr Morris told The News that transport magnate Sir Reg Ansett had bought the land in the late 1950s and handed it to State Rivers and Water Supply Commission for a reservoir instead of a site on his land nearby. “He paid for the land and gave it to the government, and the government should give it to the people,” he said. In the Parliament earlier in the week Mr Morris called on Ms Neville to “use her authority to have the application withdrawn, and the land transferred to Mornington Peninsula Shire for a nominal amount”. “The land was a supply reservoir until 1999, when it was decommissioned. Largely untouched by humans in the intervening 16 years, it has become a haven for wildlife in the midst of an urban area,” he said. “Residents have advised me the site is now home to at least 61 species, including the endangered grey-headed flying fox. The panel was told
PAGE 24
Frankston Times 17 August 2015
this and astonishingly did not recommend setting aside even the hectare the shire council asked for. “Minister Neville, as the minister responsible for the environment and water, will surely appreciate the importance of this parcel and the role it plays in supporting local wildlife, particularly endangered species.” Mr Morris said the area was close to Port Phillip and the green wedge but had little public open space. “If the proposal to sell the land in lots proceeds, the circumstances will be severely exacerbated. It is imperative that we not lose sight of long-term good for short-term profit,” he said. Councils and government agencies will be offered the land first and if there are no takers, South East Water will be free to go to the market. In early 2014, the water authority asked the shire to rezone the land, which consists of 24 blocks of about 1000 square metres each, worth about $450,000 a block or $10.8 million in total. More optimistic estimates put the value at $13 million. South East Water is building new headquarters in Frankston and is keen to maximise the return on its Mt Eliza land. A citizen group formed to lobby for the land to become a nature reserve has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/KunyungSaysNo Mike Hast