Survivors of a doomed Rottnest Island seaplane flight which killed three people have recalled how they moved into an air pocket of the submerged cabin before two escaped through a door, and two were rescued by onlookers who smashed a window and pulled them out.
The Swan River Seaplane-run Cessna 208 plunged into the sea on January 7 at around 4pm after wobbling during take-off and nosediving into the water 600 metres offshore.
The plane had seven people onboard. The pilot, James Wong, 34, and two international tourists, aged in their 60s, died. Their bodies were retrieved from the wreckage by police divers.
A Perth couple, Jeremy and Patricia Connor, also aged in their 60s, survived, along with the partners of the deceased tourists.
In a preliminary report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Thursday, details were revealed about how Wong was initially worried about flying in the strong winds, with his boss telling him not to feel any pressure to take-off, and that customers could always catch a ferry back to the mainland.
The flight path of the doomed flight. Credit: ATSB
“At 1116, the chief pilot of Swan River Seaplanes sent the pilot a text message stating that winds were forecast to increase that afternoon, and included an image from a weather website, showing that winds at Rottnest Island were 25 kt with gusts to 34 kt,” the report read.
“The pilot responded that they may need to return to South Perth earlier than the planned 1600 departure time.
“The chief pilot indicated they agreed with this, stating that if necessary the passengers could return via ferry. The pilot responded to this text with a thumbs up.”
Despite the conversation, the flight departed as planned at 4pm, with Wong texting that conditions were “rough but OK” 50 minutes before the fatal flight took off near Phillip Rock.
The skipper of the tender boat that ferried the passengers from the seaplane to shore recalled how the decision to fly was made after the pilot requested to inspect the sea conditions in a boat. At the time the swell was knee to waist-high and winds were at least 30 knots.
“The coxswain [boat skipper] recalled that the pilot determined the conditions to be unsuitable for the planned departure, and requested to be taken closer to the southern shore of Thomson Bay,” the report read.
“The coxswain recalled that conditions were calmer in this location, and the pilot had planned to depart on an easterly track towards Phillip Rock.”
The skipper would later rush to the crash site and rescue two passengers from the plane by smashing a rear window.
“Survivors and other witnesses recalled the aircraft remained partially afloat in a perpendicular orientation, with the aircraft nose resting on the sea floor,” the report read.
The Cessna at the bottom of the sea floor off Rottnest Island. Credit: ATSB
“The survivors reported that all cabin doors were submerged. The rear windows were not submerged.
“Four passengers moved into a pocket of air in the rear cabin and one of the passengers opened the top section of the rear right door. They and another passenger exited through this door.
The three deceased onboard were seated towards the front.Credit: ATSB
“The coxswain of the tender vessel broke the rear left aircraft window, and two passengers recalled escaping through this broken window.”
Surviving couple the Connors, in a statement released after the crash, said Wong’s earlier safety instructions helped save their lives.
“We will never forget and will always be grateful that his demonstration of how to open the emergency exit was a critical factor in our survival,” they said.
They were at the rear of the plane. The deceased were in the front three rows.
One of the passengers told investigators that the pilot’s request for them to assist in closing and latching the left rear door during take-off from the mainland earlier that day was crucial for them being able to open the door after the crash.
The plane was inspected a week before the accident.
A final report will be released by the ATSB after the investigation.
The bureau is yet to review mobile phone devices, aircraft engine data, weather conditions, the pilot’s procedures and training records and aircraft maintenance.
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