The Cessna 210 VH-MDX, with its worn paint at the time of its disappearance, added to the challenges of the search efforts. Its color closely blended with the natural tones of the region it was flying over, making both aerial and ground searches especially difficult.
« VH-MDX » - Barrington Tops, Australia, 1981
BackgroundIn August 1981, the Cessna 210 VH-MDX disappeared during a flight from Brisbane to Sydney over the rugged Barrington Tops region of New South Wales, Australia.
Despite extensive search efforts, neither the aircraft nor its five occupants were ever found, making it one of Australia’s most enduring aviation mysteries. The challenging terrain and dense forest have hindered recovery efforts to this day.
VH-MDX
On August 9, 1981, a Cessna 210 aircraft, registered as VH-MDX, vanished over the Barrington Tops region in New South Wales, Australia, during a flight from Whitsunday Coast Airport to Bankstown Airport in Sydney. The aircraft was carrying five individuals: pilot Michael Hutchins and passengers Ken Price, Noel Wildash, Rhett Bosler, and Philip Pembroke.
After a refueling stop at Gold Coast Airport, VH-MDX departed at 5:02 p.m., following a flight plan along the coast to Taree, then inland via Craven and Singleton to Bankstown. As the flight progressed, the aircraft encountered severe weather conditions, including turbulence and icing. The pilot reported the failure of critical flight instruments—the artificial horizon and gyroscopic direction indicator—complicating navigation.
Radar data indicated that VH-MDX had deviated approximately 40 kilometers northwest of its intended route near Barrington Tops. The pilot communicated difficulties in maintaining altitude due to downdrafts and ice accumulation. The final transmission at 7:39 p.m. reported an altitude of 5,000 feet. Subsequently, all contact was lost, and the aircraft disappeared from radar.
Despite extensive search efforts over the years, involving air and ground operations utilizing technologies such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, and magnetometry, no trace of VH-MDX or its occupants has been found. The challenging terrain and dense vegetation of Barrington Tops have hindered recovery efforts.
The disappearance of VH-MDX remains one of Australia's most enduring aviation mysteries, with ongoing interest and periodic search initiatives aimed at uncovering the fate of the aircraft and providing closure to the families involved.
The mission
The case of VH-MDX holds significant importance in our research. Unlike other lost aircraft searches, the efforts to locate VH-MDX—both past and ongoing—have been meticulously documented and are publicly accessible through a dedicated website.
By overlaying these documented search efforts with our Machine Learning analyses of radar (SAR) and infrared (IR) data, we are able to concentrate on areas that remain unexplored.
Our mission aims to locate VH-MDX using innovative non-optical tools and methods currently under development.
