SYDNEY: A NSW pilot, Mr Trevor Whitmore, escaped when his light aircraft crashed into 20 metres of water at the Prospect Reservoir west of Sydney on Saturday.

Mr Whitmore, 21, was struggling to swim to shore when he was rescued by Constable Don Bentley, 26, and Constable Peter Ward, 48.

An ambulance took MR Whitmore to Blacktown District Hospital in a state of shock, but otherwise unhurt.

The aeroplane has not been found.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110844866

SYDNEY: A taxi driver who ditched a police-owned light aircraft into the Prospect Reservoir was charged yesterday with having falsely claimed the aircraft had engine failure.

Before Mr McKeowen, SM., at Blacktown Court was 21-year-old Mr Trevor James Whitmore, of Maraylya.

He was charged with having made a false representation by radio transmission to Mr Kevin Albert Bishop, a member of the police force, on May 7 at Prospect.

He appeared also on three other charges related to the same incident .

These were that on May 7 at Prospect he caused $8,000 damage to a 1976 Cessna, VH-UGH, the property of Garry Chapman and other members of the NSW Police Aero Club; that being the pilot in command of the Cessna, he did not immediately before flight check arid test all flight”controls and associated equipment in the aircraft; and that he operated the aircraft in a manner which was negligent.

No pleas were taken.

The police prosecutor, Sergeant Sam Findley, said 25 witnesses would be called.

Mr McKeowen set the charges down for hearing at Parramatta Court on September 27. He allowed Mr Whitmore continuing bail of $1,000.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110856790

SYDNEY: A 21-year-old man had crash-landed a light aircraft into Prospect Reservoir a short time after having learnt he had been adopted, Parramatta Court was told yesterday.

The pilot, who was on a restricted licence, had told police after the crash about his girlfriend and about how he had recently found out he had been adopted, Sergeant Trevor Cullen told the court.

He said he had told the man, Mr Trevor Whitmore, taxi driver of Maraylya, near Vineyard, that Department of Transport air-safety investigators had not been able to find anything mechanically wrong with the aircraft.

Mr Whitmore appeared before Mr R. Butler, SM, on four charges related to the crash at Prospect, an outer western suburb, on May 7.

One charge was of having a false representation by radio to Mr Kevin Albert Bishop, a member of the NSW Police Force, that the engine of his Cessna 150 had failed due to mechanical causes and that a forced landing would be imminent.

He was remanded to October 28 on $1,000 bail.

trial ordered

SYDNEY: A Sydney taxi-driver was committed yesterday to stand trial on a charge of maliciously causing $11,017 damage to a Cessna 150 aeroplane on May 7.

The police prosecutor, Sergeant P. Dunkley, said that Mr Trevor James Whitmore, 22, of Maraylya, had hired the aircraft which was owned by the NSW Police Aero Club.

In a police record of interview, Mr Whitmore allegedly said he had had a quarrel with his girlfriend and had tried to commit suicide by “diving” the aircraft into a reservoir.

According to the record of interview, he had said he could not swim.

Mr Charles Gould, the reservoir’s resident officer for the Water Board, said that when the aircraft came down there were about 500 picnickers in the area.

Mr Whitmore was allowed $1,000 bail and committed to the current sittings of Parramatta District Court.

Taxi driver not Qantas pilot

SYDNEY: A taxi driver flew a hired light aircraft valued at $18,000 into Prospect Reservoir, west of Sydney, after his girlfriend found out he was not a Qantas pilot, Parramatta District Court was told yesterday.

Mr Trevor James Whitmore, 23, of Maraylya had spent most of his money trying to impress his girlfriend, 18, and trying to gain her favours, but she did not take the relationship seriously, Sergeant Peter John Cullen, of Blacktown, said.

In what Judge Herron called a “Walter Mitty sydrome”, Mr Whitmore had dressed as a pilot and even given a talk at a local flying school, Sergeant Cullen said.

Mr Whitmore also had obtained air tickets for his girlfriend and her family and charged them only a fraction of the real cost.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of having maliciously injured one Cessna aircraft at prospect in May last year.

Judge Herron put Mr Whitmore on a $600 good-behaviour bond for three years. He ordered that Mr Whitmore pay $6,000 at $80 a month, for damage to the aircraft.

He also was ordered to keep in contact with the probation and parole service.