Re: skydive crash fatal c-206
What a tragedy......
this piece from news.com.au
Five dead in plane crash
From: AAP
January 02, 2006
FIVE people are dead after a plane carrying a group of sky divers plunged into a dam west of Brisbane shortly after take-off today.
Two other people aboard the plane survived - including Brisbane Skydiving Centre owner and founder Brian Scoffell - have been taken to hospital, one found in a paddock with suspected spinal injuries.
Witnesses have told police they saw a plume of smoke coming from the single-engine Cessna 206 before it clipped a tree and crashed into the dam soon after take off about 10.15am (AEST).
Investigators are at the dam, close to an aerodrome at Willowbank near Ipswich west of Brisbane, where the wreckage remains submerged.
Divers are also at the scene, trying to recover four bodies trapped inside. A fifth body was recovered on the bank of the dam.
One of the two survivors, a 27-year-old woman who is believed to have spinal injuries, was found in a paddock close to the dam, with blood streaming down her face.
The other survivor, identified as Mr Scoffell by a friend, suffered a severe arm injury and burns to his upper body.
Both are expected to undergo surgery tonight.
The crash ended what was supposed to have been a day of adrenalin-packed fun for the seven aboard - three skydiving students, three instructors and the pilot.
A Queensland Police spokesman said efforts were focussed on retrieving the four bodies still inside the wreckage.
"Our investigator on site has confirmed there are five dead but four are still in the plane which is submerged upside down," she said.
"We have got our dive squad and our victim identification squad to come and identify the remaining bodies."
The injured man was airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a satisfactory condition.
The woman was taken to Ipswich Hospital after a friend of the pilot, who was first at the scene, spotted her in a paddock.
Inspector Noel Powers of Ipswich Police said the plane failed to gain altitude after take-off, plunging into the dam about 500m from the Willowbank aerodrome.
He said witnesses saw smoke trailing from the back of the plane before it hit the tree and hurtled into the dam.
"We are talking to witnesses to try and establish the last moments of the flight, but it appears that it definitely had difficulty gaining height," he said.
"The Disaster Victim Identification Squad and the police dive squad are on their way to recover the remaining bodies."
He said a federal aviation safety officer would arrive from Canberra to inspect the site tomorrow, along with Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
Counsellors are talking to grieving relatives of the deceased who had gathered at the Brisbane Skydiving Centre, which operated the plane.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said it could take weeks to determine the cause of the crash because light aircraft don't carry black box flight recorders.
"I have told the ATSB investigators that if we get any preliminary indications of mechanical problems with the aircraft to let us know to ensure this doesn't happen to another Cessna 206," he said.
"But that's not going to happen quickly. That could be days, perhaps even weeks.
"Typically, these investigations take quite a while to piece together what really happened.
"And typically it is not just one thing that goes wrong. We have no idea of what it might have been at this early stage."
Australian Parachute Federation chief executive Graeme Windsor said the Brisbane Skydiving Centre was a member.
As such, the federation would be taking an interest in the crash.
Brisbane Skydiving Centre began operations in 1982 and is one of south-east Queensland's longest-running parachute training organisations.
The centre has been operating with two planes over the Willowbank drop zone - a Cessna 206 and a Cessna 182.