Why Barrington Tops kills so many planes: weather, not mystery
Since 1945, nine planes have crashed in Barrington Tops National Park, killing 30 people; bad weather is the real culprit.
The Barrington Tops on NSW's Mid North Coast has earned the grim nickname the Devil's Triangle, with nine crashes and 30 deaths since 1945. Pilots familiar with the Barrington Tops say the mystery is solved: the landscape kills.
Mountains reaching 5,200 feet create mechanical turbulence when westerly winds hit, lifting or dropping aircraft hundreds of feet in seconds. Severe icing is another deadly hazard, supercooled water freezes onto planes, adding hundreds of kilos and choking engines.
Worse, the dense forest spans 125,000 hectares with almost no emergency landing spots and trees so tall that rescue would be almost impossible. Flight instructor Phil Unicomb tells his students to avoid the area like the plague.
In 1987, pilot Dennis Hume ejected over the Barringtons and hung in a tree for hours with a fractured spine, waiting for rescue. His wreckage took seven years to find.
- 9
- Total crashes
- 30
- Deaths
- 5,200 feet
- Mountain height
- 125,000 hectares
- Forest area
Why it mattersUnderstanding the real hazards, not myths, helps pilots and searchers keep people safe.
AustraliaFor Australians flying on the east coast or searching for missing aircraft like the Cessna that vanished in 1981, this knowledge is vital.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 d ago
