| Article taken from the Adelaide, ADVERTISER. 20 October, 1978. |
| PART 2 |
| Aircraft: Object has vanished. F.S.U: Confirm it has vanished. Aircraft: Affermitve . Do you know what sort of aircraft I've got? Is it military? F.S.U: No. No. military traffic in the area. 7.12 pm. Aircraft: Engine is rough-idling and is coughing. F.S.U: What are your intentions? Aircraft: Proceeding to King Isand. Unknown aircraft now hovering on top of me. F.S.U: Acknowledgeed that message. There was then a long metallic noice on the radio and contact with the aircraft was lost. Light aircraft began a visual and radio search when the plane failed to turn up at King Island on arrival time of 7.28 pm. An RAAF Orion from Edinburgh, South Australia a long-range maritime reconnaisane aircraft - spent all day yesterday searching the area off Cape Otway where the plane disappeared. The pilot later reported having seen a oil slick in the area. The Orion's navigator, Flight-Lieutenant Bill Sigston said. "We're planted a marker buoy at the spot about 16 miles north of Cape Wickhem. Our aircraft will be able to fly direct to the spot tomorow morning". But the rescue co-ordination centre conducting the search from Melbourne remains mysified by the disappearence. Conditions on Saturday night and all day yesterday were ideal, with fine weather, a mild north-westerly breeze and almost unlimited visibility. The missing aircraft was carrying a lifejacket and a "black box" radio, survival beacon transmitting on high distress frequency. The Australian Coastal Surveillance Organisation in Cambera has alerted all shipping and three crayfishing boats equipped with radio are working their way up the west coast of King Island and toward Cape Otway on the Cessna's path. A thorough land search of Cape Otway and King Island has failed to find any trace of the aircaft. (continued in part 3) |
| Fredrick Valentich diappearance. |
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