Expectant parents Rhiley and Maree Kuhrt killed in plane crash near Proserpine, in central Queensland
A man and his pregnant wife have been killed after their light plane crashed into bushland in central Queensland.
A man and his pregnant wife have been killed after their light plane crashed into bushland near Proserpine, in central Queensland, on Sunday afternoon.
Expectant parents Rhiley and Maree Kuhrt took-off from Natal Downs Station, south of Charters Towers, on Sunday afternoon and were to arrive at Lakeside Airpark in Bloomsbury about 5pm but they got into difficulty during a storm.
A large-scale search located the wreckage of the Piper Cherokee aircraft at 10.15am on Monday in the Clarke Ranges, west of Proserpine, among rugged and mountainous terrain.
Queensland police inspector Andrew Godbold said visibility would have been poor. “It is very difficult (to access the crash site); the only way in is via helicopter at this stage,” he said.
“They would have been faced with a lot of showers, a lot of thunder and probable visibility down to next to nothing.”
Formal identification has not been made, with it expected to take several days to reach the wreckage. “It is very difficult for us even just to walk in, at this stage,” Inspector Godbold said
Mr Kuhrt, who was head stockman at the cattle station, was flying his own Piper Cherokee aircraft at the time of the crash.
An avid bush pilot, he had previously shared videos on social media from the cockpit of aircraft as he flew over the harvest and another with dogs by his side.
The couple was preparing to welcome a child, with Ms Kuhrt posting a picture on her social media profile last month that read “so excited to meet this little person who is half me and half my love”, with the caption “14 weeks to go”.
An extensive aerial search for the plane had been launched by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which co-ordinated with Queensland police.
Two helicopters and a fixed-wing plane began the search with the assistance of the RACQ CQ Rescue, which surveyed the airpark and surrounding high ground
Recommendations will be made for the coroner and an investigation will be continued by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Graziers welcome EU deforestation delay
After sustained lobbying from governments, including Australia’s, the European Union has agreed to delay its controversial deforestation importation policy.
Libs’ ‘bread and butter’ pitch to end 23-year Labor rule
ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee’s pitch to voters ahead of the Territory election is underpinned by a return to ‘bread and butter’ issues and the promise of a change after 23 years of Labor government.