Skydivers involved in fatal plane crash
One person has died and four others are missing, feared dead after a plane crash in south-east Queensland.
The aircraft was carrying a group of parachutists when it came down in a dam soon after take-off this morning, west of Ipswich.
It is believed two people have survived and have been airlifted to hospital.
Peter Theodore from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service says emergency crews are at the scene.
"We apparently had a seven-seater skydiving aircraft that took off for a parachute jump," he said.
"It didn't gain a lot of altitude on our understanding and crashed into a dam. We have QAS (Queensland Ambulance Service) units on site. We have fire service vehicles on scene, plus our technical rescue vehicles from Brisbane are responding."
Safety Bureau spokesman Alan Stray says few details are known at this stage.
"The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been advised that there's been an accident involving a Cessna 206 - that's a single engine, around about a six or seven seater aircraft, near Ipswich," he said.
"It's believed to have been on parachute operations. We have no other details at this stage."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...1/s1540617.htm
Up to five people are feared dead after a plane carrying parachutists plunged into a dam shortly after take-off near Ipswich west of Brisbane.
The single-engine Cessna 206, operated by the Brisbane Skydiving Centre, plunged into a dam soon after it took off from Willowbank about 11am (AEDT) today.
At least two of the seven people aboard survived, skydiving centre spokeswoman Angela Garvey said.
"A plane has gone down with seven people on board," she told AAP.
She said the wreckage was submerged in the dam.
"There's two survivors so far," she said.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman Alan Stray earlier said a team was on its way to the crash scene.
"A Cessna 206 conducting parachuting operations crashed shortly after take-off and it is understood to have crashed into a dam," Mr Stray said.
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service crews are at the scene.
"We apparently had a seven-seater skydiving aircraft that took off for a parachute jump," service spokesman Peter Theodore told the ABC.
"It didn't gain a lot of altitude on our understanding and crashed into a dam.
"We have QAS (Queensland Ambulance Service) units on site. We have fire service vehicles on scene, plus our technical rescue vehicles from Brisbane are responding."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...050376945.html