Rottnest Island plane crash: Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators to interview survivors

Aviation safety experts from around the country are travelling to Perth to interview the survivors of a seaplane crash off Rottnest Island to determine what led to the tragedy, which killed three people. Australian Transport Safety boss Angus Mitchell on Wednesday morning confirmed the fuselage of the plane was “secured to the seabed”. In a statement, the authority confirmed it had launched an investigation after the Swan River Seaplane-run Cessna 208 crashed into the waters of Thomson Bay during take-off about 4pm yesterday. “As reported to the ATSB, during take-off the floatplane collided with the water, before coming to rest partially submerged,” ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said. Investigators from around the country, including from Perth, Brisbane and Canberra, will travel to Rottnest to examine what may have led to the crash. Police said they initially believed the aircraft hit Phillip rock in Thomson Bay shortly after take-off. Mr Mitchell was unable to confirm this until his investigators examined the wreckage. A pilot and six passengers were on the aircraft. Three of those passengers have died, including the pilot. Three survivors were taken to hospital, including two women in their 40s with serious injuries. It is reported they are in a stable condition on Wednesday. A fourth person was, remarkably, uninjured. The ATSB said they will interview the survivors, witnesses or anyone else with knowledge of the aircraft or what it was doing. “Investigators will conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities, including site and wreckage examination, and recovery of any aircraft components for further examination at the ATSB’s technical facilities in Canberra,” Mr Mitchell said. “Investigators will also seek to interview those on board, and any other witnesses and involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including available flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information. Mr Mitchell told 9NEWS the crash was “very distressing” for both the families of passengers and for anybody who witnessed it. “These types of incident do have far reaching impacts across communities and particularly the aviation community,” he said. He said the plane only managed to achieve “seconds of flight” but was unable to confirm if it hit Phillip Rock, which police initially said was believed to have occurred. “We won’t know until we get to examine the wreckage,” he said. “We understand it is in a number of pieces at the moment, we have got some pieces that have been recovered ashore, some with the police on a police boat. “We believe that part of the fuselage (the main body of the aircraft) has been secured to the seabed at the moment. “Until my team gets there and then starts that painstaking task of looking at all of what is there — and what is potentially not there — we’ll get a better idea of those final seconds of flight.” Eyewitness Hayden Harvey was visiting the island from South Australia for the first time with his Perth girlfriend when he saw the aircraft hit the water. “We saw the plane go down, just as it was about to collide with the water. It was probably about 300m offshore. It was just a big splash it wasn’t a big explosion or anything crazy,” he told The West. “It was, ‘f.... I wish I had a boat’, I was just praying upon someone getting out there as soon as possible.” Police Commissioner Col Blanch said several members of the public out in the water rushed to help after the crash. Anybody who saw the aircraft in the air, or who saw the tragic crash, is urged to contact the ATSB. “The ATSB asks anyone who may have witnessed or has photos or video footage of the aircraft at any phase of the flight, or in the immediate aftermath of the accident, to make contact via the witness form on our website: atsb.gov.au/witness at their earliest opportunity,” the statement said.