Aircraft down off Redcliffe
 

Aircraft in water near Newport QLD looks like it crashed after take off from Redcliffe. Reported that four were on board. Does not look good.

Non-paywall link to courier-mail:

https://12ft.io/proxy?ref=&q=https:/...16e1964204c231

Not good
 

Certainly doesn’t sound good.

ABC running an article too.
can’t post the link though.

It's unclear whether there's any evidence that there were four people onboard, or whether it's just "it has four seats and therefore there could have been four people onboard". Hopefully the latter.

I am no expert on aircraft types, but that wing shape makes me think Comanche?

Must have been extremely short on time during the emergency, landing gear still extended for a ditching was more than likely not thier intentions.

Looks like a Rockwell Commander.

Single engine.

Redcliffe
 

Looks a lot like WMM.

Will not have to wait for the divers, another 3 hours it will be sitting on mudflat

Nine News footage just confirmed that. Seems to be elevated above water slowly as the arvo progresses.

Four confirmed deceased
 

7 NEWS is reporting four confirmed deceased. 2 from Brisbane and 2 from Canberra. Witnesses stated the aircraft appeared to be having engine trouble and they looked like they attempted to turn around and make it back to the runway.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-...e=abc_news_web

Can’t find WMM on the register. (head scratch)

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....80be5513ea.png
…and then I searched for the rego of the aircraft I fly, and it does not show either. Must be my fat thumbs or CASA’s ‘upgraded’ website.

Leave the VH- off and it will work.

Would you believe the ‘VH-‘ is pre-populated?

I should have realised…

(PS: thanks greeb)

I have around 1800hrs in the 114 and can say with the gear out they glide like a brick. Sad sad situation, the return to land after EFATO has trapped many an aviator.

ABC reporting 59 yo male pilot, another male and two children all deceased.

Looking at the images, the aircraft is inverted in the water, either floating or it’s in really shallow water. Makes you wonder why it flipped.

Sad outcome.

Redcliffe Ditching
 

It was a retract. It look like a gear-down landing in shallow water. The engine appears torn off and the tail dislodged after it flipped.
Upside down would make it hard to exit. If a retract and ditching it is best to land gear up and open the doors before touch down.

Bad news so close to Christmas.

Maybe no time to retract? May have been fixated on returning to airfield and not ditching? Sadly we will probably never know.

Sad day for the families. RIP