Pilot, teens dead after light plane crashes into ocean
Tom Wark And Andrew Stafford
Three men, including two teenagers, were killed when their light plane crashed into the ocean at a popular fishing spot in South Australia in front of horrified onlookers.
Authorities said the single-engine Cessna 210 plunged into the water while rolling a few hundred meters offshore in Long Bay, about 85 kilometers south of Adelaide, about 4.30pm on Friday.
The pilot, 57, from Morphett Vale, and his two passengers, aged 18 and 19, were found dead.
In a separate incident, a search continues for the pilot and sole passenger of a light plane that crashed in a flooded area in northern Queensland.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is currently investigating the cause of the SA crash and has appealed for anyone with footage to come forward.
Acting Chief Superintendent Colin McNamara said it would be crucial to watch video footage of the crash.
“The footage shows the aircraft touching down in the water while rolling to the left in a very steep nose-down trajectory a few 100 meters offshore,” he told reporters on Saturday.
“Understanding the sequence of events that led to the aircraft entering this orbit will be central.”
Investigators will also interview witnesses and interested parties and collect recorded flight tracking data.
All aircraft parts of interest will be taken to the bureau’s Canberra technical facilities for further examination.
While a police helicopter, firefighters, SES and special marine operators participated in the operation, rough seas hindered efforts to retrieve the wreckage.
A nearby Goolwa resident told ABC Radio Adelaide the scene near the crash was “chaos”.
Police officer Senior Constable Rebecca Stokes described the crash as “tragic news for three families in South Australia today”.
The crash site is a remote beach but a popular fishing spot where the Murray River meets the Southern Ocean.
McNamara said police would prepare a report for the coroner but the preliminary ATSB report was expected to take around two months to complete.
Meanwhile, floodwaters are hampering efforts to reach the scene of a light plane crash near Normanton in Queensland’s Bay Area.
Emergency services were called to the scene after the plane crashed 800 meters west of Normanton airport at around 20:00 on Friday.
The pilot is believed to be the only person on board, but police and ambulance services were still trying to gain access to the crash site on Saturday.
The ATSB has been notified and will investigate the cause of the accident.
AAP
