Investigators to fly into deadly plane crash site

Investigators will be flown into the remote crash site near Mount Isa of a plane involved in Queensland bushfire efforts on Monday to uncover why three people died.

The Rockwell 695A Jetprop Commander that crashed. Picture: Supplied

Investigators on Monday will begin examining the site of a plane crash in outback Queensland in which three aircrew helping to battle bushfires were killed – but it may be weeks before the cause is known.

Early inquiries have failed to shed light on why the plane that had been used for crucial fire-spotting crashed at McKinlay, about 100km south of Cloncurry, on Saturday.

Workers at the Eloise Copper Mine saw the Rockwell 695A Jetprop Commander plunge to the ground about 2.30pm as it was en route from Toowoomba to Mount Isa. Ambulance crews and mine staff rushed to the scene.

The bodies of the three victims are still in the wreckage, which Superintendent Tom Armitt, of the Queensland Police Service, confirmed was “completely destroyed by fire”.

He said the “relatively small” crash area was under 24/7 guard until investigators from the police disaster victim identification team and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau arrived.

“It‘s a remote area. It’s far away from the large centres where the specialists come from,” Superintendent Armitt said. “We need to fly everybody in to bring them to the site to do their examinations.

“ATSB will do their investigation as far as the air side – the airworthiness of the aircraft, all those sorts of things on the technical side of the flight – and we’ll provide that combined report to the coroner.”

While the plane was on contract to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service, those on board had worked in various roles in the rural NSW and Queensland fire services.

They had most recently been involved in mapping parts of Queensland’s southwest to assist firefighting efforts near Tara.

Superintendent Armitt said the bodies would be repatriated to their families, who had all been notified of their deaths. “In this case, we know who was on the plane,” he said.

“We will be relying on the disaster victim identification team to repatriate those deceased for the relevant post-mortem examinations to occur and their identities to be confirmed.”

While the examination of the scene will be completed in the coming days, it may be weeks – or months – before the cause of the crash is known.

ATSB chief operating officer Colin McNamara said it was crucial any critical or significant safety issues were identified, given the risk involved with firefighting.

QFES Deputy Commissioner Mike Wassing said the aviation and firefighting communities were in mourning.

A firebombing plane has crashed near the Eloise Copper Mine. Picture: Google Maps

“This aircrew has been involved in a lot of the operational jobs around Queensland, primarily given the fires that we’ve had in southwest Queensland,” he said.

“They’ve been very active in mapping those locations.”

The plane was operated by Victorian-based AGAIR, which has a fleet of firebombers.

QFES has grounded several aircraft, including two water bombers, following the incident.

Mr Wassing said this was normal protocol.

“The aircraft itself that was part of this tragic incident is what we call a line-scan aircraft, so it helps inform our mapping and our hotspots,” he said.

“It (the crash) hasn’t had any immediate impact in terms of our air operations as far as firebombing goes.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of those who died, adding it was a “tragic reminder of the dangers those on the frontline of bushfires face”.

A report is being prepared for the coroner. The start of the bushfire season has already claimed one life and more than 50 homes in Queensland over the past week as fires burnt across the state.