On 4th Oct 2 pilots were flying Robinson R22s to Larrawa Station (half way between Halls Creek & Fitzroy Crossing, Kimberley WA) after mustering on Louisa Downs, when tragedy struck. One of the choppers crashed after apparently touching the side of a gorge in the Margaret River. 40-year-old pilot Angus Mundell was found by police divers the next day. Gus Mundell was the brother of Hamish Mundell, who lived on Coolibah Station (NT) with his wife Kristie at the time of filming the popular TV reality show called ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’. Gus also worked for Milton Jones ‘Northern Australian Helicopters’ (NAH).
I never met Gus but by all accounts he was a careful operator, great bloke and sorely missed. A tragic waste. There’s so little room for survivable error in helicopters, especially smaller, single-engine models.
Tags: Australian cattle stations, Mustering Choppers, Coolibah Station, Keeping up with the Joneses