Police Superintendent George Hannan, the only passenger on this chartered flight, settles himself comfortably in the right-hand seat of the aircraft next to pilot Ian Earnshaw, happy to be returning home after a turbulent few weeks on duty in the troubled island republic, one of Australia’s Pacific neighbours. He closes his eyes, and the rhythmic throb of the engines on this tranquil afternoon soon lulls him into rest. He must have been dozing. Glancing at his watch, he turns to Earnshaw to ask what time they expect to arrive in Brisbane. Earnshaw, preoccupied with flight instruments, fails to hear him…