‘Our worst years’: 15 lives lost in Qld air crashes of 2023
It has been a tragic year for aviation accidents, with 15 people losing their lives in air crashes in Queensland alone with the ATSB reporting fatalities from 2022 to 2023 some of the worst on record. Timeline of tragedy.
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In the past two years, 61 people have lost their lives in aviation accidents in Australia, with more than one third occurring in Queensland.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has reported 15 fatal aviation accidents and 27 deaths nationally in 2023 - 15 deaths occurring in Queensland alone.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said that while these numbers are on track with previous statistics, he added it was still alarming there has not been a decrease in fatal incidents.
“We haven’t seen a decrease, and in fact, the last two years have been two of our worst years across the country in terms of aviation accidents,” Chief Commissioner Mitchell said.
“We’re always looking for continuous improvement and less fatalities in aviation, and we haven't seen that.
“There’s been 15 fatalities just for Queensland alone, and obviously it started off the year with the mid-air collision at Sea World... it’s been a tragic year, but unfortunately, it is about on track with what we have seen in the past couple of years.”
ATSB reported an average of 32.3 fatalities per year for 2010 to 2019, and in 2022, reported a high of 34 fatalities nationally, with six deaths in Queensland.
This state marked its first aviation accident in January when after four people died in the mid-air helicopter collision at Seaworld on the Gold Coast. Chief Commissioner Mitchell pointing out most aviation incidents involve wire strikes and adverse weather conditions.
“It is rare to have mid-air collisions... and now we’ve had in Queensland just this year, that being at Sea World and the other one at Caboolture,” Chief Commissioner Mitchell said.
“Some of the things that we’re seeing and unfortunately we see repeats of, is wire strikes, now that’s wire strikes where there’s particularly in that obviously low level aerial work whether it be spraying or mustering operations,
“...whether it’s a plane or helicopter, they’re both represented.”
Chief Commissioner Mitchell also pointed out one of the leading factors of serious aviation accidents was weather and night flying where pilots may have to change from Visual Flight Rules (VFR) to the more advanced Instrumental Meteorological Conditions (IMC) flight category .
“That’s a very different type of flying and inadvertently going from one to another, we know disorientation occurs very quickly... and more often than not, it results in catastrophic outcomes,” he said.
“It comes down to planning, understanding your aircraft well and not flying beyond your means and your experience, and what your aircraft is capable of.”
While Queensland has recorded a large number of fatal aviation accidents, various non-fatal incidents have also occurred and made news headlines this year, with a number of light plane crashes occurring across the state.
More recently, two men in their 50s miraculously survived a 100km/h plunge into the ocean off the Sunshine Coast after their heavily-fuel-laden plane crashed in the water and they were rescued while clinging to a life raft.
There have been no fatalities in scheduled commercial air transport in Australia since 2005.
As we approach the end of the year and the upcoming festive season, Chief Commissioner Mitchell wanted to remind those operating aircrafts to be mindful of your experience level and always have alternative plans, with a safety message of ‘don’t push it, land it’.
“Always be cognisant of your experience level and the weather... just about all of our incidents, really bar a very small portion, are completely avoidable,” Chief Commissioner Mitchell said.
“It just comes down to good planning and having a very conservative attitude when it comes to flying and making sure you really have thought out the entire flight from start to finish.”
Read the heartbreaking Qld air crash stories of 2023 below, and the tributes to the 15 lives lost.
READ MORE: HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST SHOCKING HELICOPTER CRASHES
JANUARY 2 - SEA WORLD HELICOPTER CRASH
Referred to as ‘Queensland’s darkest day’, tragedy struck in January when two helicopters collided mid-air near Seaworld, leaving four people dead and three critically injured.
The five-minute joy flights were operated out of the Gold Coast theme park at Main Beach at around 2pm on Monday, January 2, when the two aircrafts collided.
The first helicopter, piloted by Michael James, managed to land on a nearby sandbank, with all five passengers aboard miraculous escaping with only minor injuries.
However, the second aircraft crashed onto its side after having only been in the air for 20 seconds, resulting in the tragic deaths of four people, including the pilot.
Among the victims were British couple, Ron Hughes, 65, and Diane Hughes, 57, who were in Queensland on holiday.
The other victims were Sea World Helicopters’ chief pilot Ash Jenkinson, 40, and NSW mother Vanessa Tadros, 36.
Ms Tadros’s 10-year-old son, Nicky Tadros, survived the crash and was in the hospital for six months where he underwent multiple surgeries and had his right leg amputated.
Geelong locals Winnie de Silva, 33, and her nine-year-old son Leon were critically injured in the crash, with Leon placed in an induced coma with facial and head injuries.
Both have made full recoveries.
Investigations into how the crash occurred are ongoing, with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau issuing a safety advisory notice in September, 2023 identifying that some passengers’ seat belts were not fitted correctly due to lifejacket interference.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said it was important to stress that the ATSB ‘have not attributed the outcomes from this tragic accident to the fitment of seat belts’, but that the investigation identified a ‘broader issue across the scenic flight industry’ about how seatbelts and life jackets should be worn.
An interim ATSB report from March, 2023 also identified key findings including that the chopper piloted by Mr James did not hear a ‘taxiing’ call from Mr Jenkinson’s aircraft indicating that the chopper took off, however this does not mean that the call was not made.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Mitchell said that the topic of the taxi call ‘will be subject to detailed analysis by the ATSB investigation’ which is set to be released in 2024.
READ MORE: CHOPPER TRAGEDY: EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT QLD’S DARKEST DAY
READ MORE: WOMAN WHO TRIED TO PIN SPEEDING TICKET ON DEAD SEA WORLD PILOT FINED
APRIL 2 - COUPLE AND UNBORN CHILD, KILLED IN MACKAY CRASH
A young couple and their unborn child were killed in a light plane crash in North Queensland in April after getting caught in a storm in the Clark Range.
Stockman Rhiley Kuhrt, 22, and his pregnant wife, Maree Kuhrt, 24, were killed in the crash after leaving Natal Downs station on Sunday, April 2, to visit family at Lakeside Airpark at Bloomsbury, when they crashed halfway up Mount Hector Range.
The couple were reported missing by their concerned family members at around 6.30pm on Sunday night, with emergency services locating the wreckage the following morning at 10.15am.
In July, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau stopped its investigation into the fatal plane crash after discovering Mr Kuhrt did not hold an aeroplane pilot’s licence required to conduct the flight.
A report by the ATSB released in July said that records showed Mr Kuhrt had completed 30.4 hours of flight instruction and ‘on that basis, the ATSB determined there was limited safety benefit in continuing to direct sources at this investigation when compared with other priorities’.
The report also found that the minimal spread of the wreckage suggested ‘an in-flight break-up, engine failure or fuel exhaustion were unlikely to be contributory to the accident’.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said that licensing regulations are administered to ensure pilots are trained and qualified to manage challenges during flying operations, and that there were important safety lessons to be learned from this accident.
“This accident highlights the importance of following the standards for the operation and maintenance of aircraft to ensure the safety of flight, and further demonstrates that weather continues to remain one of the most significant causes of accidents in general aviation,” he said.
“The ATSB encourages all pilots, regardless of qualification or experience level, to develop the knowledge and skills required to avoid unintentional operations into adverse weather.”
Community members paid tribute to Mr and Mrs Kuhrt, referring to them as ‘the nicest young couple’ who were ‘always smiling’ and planned to name their unborn baby girl, Phoebe.
READ MORE: IPSWICH COMMUNITY MOURNS RHILEY AND MAREE KUHRT
APRIL 4 - CATTLE ROYALTY KILLED IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND CRASH
Tributes flooded in from the community after cattle royalty and racing figure Alan Acton died when the helicopter he was piloting hit power lines at his family’s Central Queensland property.
Mr Acton, 65, was killed instantly when his helicopter crashed while he was mustering cattle at his family’s Wilpeena property on Tuesday, April 4.
A full report released by Australian Transport Safety Bureau on November 10, 2023 revealed Mr Acton was killed after he likely did not see an unmarked powerline while mustering.
ATSB Director Dr Stuart Godley said the fatal crash was a tragic reminder of the dangers posed by aerial power lines during low-level mustering.
A member of the well-known Acton cattle empire, Alan Acton is the fourth member of his family to die an accidental death in the past 12 years.
In 2017, his 40-year-old relative Brent Acton died in an eerily similar manner in a helicopter crash while mustering cattle in Cloncurry.
His brother, Graeme Acton, the former head of the Acton Empire, died in 2014 after falling off a horse in a campdrafting accident in Clarke Creek in Central Queensland.
In 2011, Alan Acton’s nephew Joseph died in a car crash near Normanton in North Queensland.
Mr Acton is survived by his wife and three children and is remembered by the community as a ‘genuinely nice human’ with a passion for horse racing, serving as a vice chairman of the Central Queensland Amateur Race Club.
He was remembered by Racing Queensland CEO Adam Wallish as ‘one of Queensland racing’s most revered figures’.
READ MORE: REPORT POINTS TO CAUSE OF CATTLEMAN’S CHOPPER CRASH DEATH
JULY 28 - MILITARY CHOPPER CRASHES
Four Australian Defence force personnel were killed when their helicopter crashed in the Whitsundays during a military exercise gone tragically wrong.
The four men lost their lives after their Taipan helicopter was involved in a two-helicopter mission and crashed at 10.30pm on Friday, July 28 between Hamilton and Lindeman Island in the Whitsundays.
Following the crash, a second chopper began a search and rescue operation with rescue crews on a barge recovering the tail section of the MRH-90 aircraft near Hamilton Island the following day.
The helicopter operation was part of the Australian Defence Force’s biggest training exercise, Talisman Sabre, involving more than 30,000 soldiers, marines, sailors and pilots from 13 countries.
The worst peacetime military disaster since the Nias Island Sea King crash in 2005, the four fatalities included pilots Lieutenant Max Nugent, Captain Dan Lyon, Warrant Officer Class 2 Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alex Naggs.
All four men were part of the Sydney-based Sixth Aviation Regiment.
Human remains were found a week after the disaster on August 3, with the black box flight recorder found a few days later on August 5.
An ADF spokesperson told The Courier Mail in August that Defence’s priority remains the recovery of the soldiers and returning them to their families and that investigations were continuing into the accident.
JULY 28 - COUPLE CRASHES WITH ANOTHER AIRCRAFT IN CABOOLTURE
A crash reminiscent of the tragic January Seaworld incident, a Brisbane couple were killed in Caboolture after their light plane collided mid-air with another aircraft in July.
Retired commercial pilot David Maddern and his wife, retired yoga teacher and author Jan Maddern were killed in the crash when their Jabiru J430 collided with a Piper PA-25 at around 10.30am on Friday, July 28.
A preliminary report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau released on September 8 said while the Piper PA-25 was returning to land, the Jabiru J430 light aircraft was preparing to take off before the two collided, with the Piper able to land soon afterwards.
Mr and Mrs Maddern were fatally injured when the aircraft collided in what ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell called a ‘tragic accident’.
Tributes flooded in for the couple, with friends describing them as ‘caring, compassionate and generous’, with Mr Maddern remembered as an ‘experience and highly regarded’ captain for the Emirates A380.
A full report is expected to be completed in late 2024.
OCTOBER 20 - RETIRED PILOT DIES IN WARWICK CRASH
A retired air force pilot was remembered as a ‘larger than life character’ after he tragically died in a light plane crash in the Southern Downs in October.
The 63-year-old former Royal Australian Force pilot, Merv Mudge was the sole occupant of the kit-built Jabiru aircraft when it crashed in Palgrave at around 12.15pm on Thursday, October 20, bursting into flames upon impact.
Tributes flooded in from family and friends after Mr Mudge’s death, people remembering him as a ‘great friend, good Australian’ and ‘professional airman’ who had an ‘impact on everyone who knew him’.
Mr Mudge travelled the world as a pilot, serving as a flight engineer on the RAAF’s Hercules transports, during which he went on the first humanitarian mission into Rwanda.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau did not investigate the crash, as they only examine accidents involving recreational aircrafts where an investigation would potentially highlight wider safety issues.
OCTOBER 28 - WALKERSTON COUPLE CRASH IN PIONEER VALLEY
A Walkerston couple in their 70s were involved in a fatal crash in October after their light plane crashed into the side of a mountain in the Pioneer Valley in Mackay.
A RACQ CQ rescue chopper was deployed to search around the Finch Hatton area after receiving calls from a community member who heard the aircraft flying overhead on Saturday, October 28.
Alwyn Rogash, a 73-year-old pilot and his wife, 75-year-old Jenny Rogash were identified as the victims of the crash by their son on social media.
The couple were reportedly returning from a family visit to Townsville when they crashed and were subsequently located at 11.30am by chopper crew.
Inaccessible by road or foot, retrieval options began three days after the crash on Tuesday, November 2, due to the crash site being described as ‘mountainous’ and ‘inaccessible’.
The bodies of the Walkerston grandparents were recovered on November 14, two weeks after the tragedy occured.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is currently investigating the incident, with a preliminary report expected six to eight weeks after the accident.
NOVEMBER 4 - THREE DIE IN BUSH FIRE FIGHTING EFFORT
Three people died after a firefighting plane crashed near McKinlay while on the way to help tackle Queensland bush fires in Mount Isa.
Reports of a crashed Rockwell 696 Jetprop came in from a member of the public at around 2.30pm near Eloise Copper mine on Saturday, November 4.
Rescue helicopters located the wreckage around 5pm where they found three people dead and the plane destroyed by a fire.
William Jennings, a 22-year-old mechanical engineer is the first of the three victims to be identified.
The US native had just graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts in May and was remembered by his mother Denise Jennings as ‘so full of joy, so full of life’.
Mr Jennings’ father, Joe Jennings, told The Courier Mail that their only son ‘always tried to help people and unfortunately that’s what he died doing’.
Mr Jennings and the two other victims, who are yet to be identified, were heading to Mount Isa from Toowoomba to complete further mapping for fire efforts.
They were all part of a Victorian-based company based out of Stawell helping the Queensland bushfire effort.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau are currently investigating the crash.
Originally published as ‘Our worst years’: 15 lives lost in Qld air crashes of 2023
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