2025 Swan River Seaplanes Cessna 208 crash
 A Cessna 208 Caravan floatplane, similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 January 2025 |
| Summary | Crashed during takeoff, under investigation |
| Site | Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia 31°59′58.1″S 115°33′39.9″E / 31.999472°S 115.561083°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 208 Caravan 675 seaplane |
| Operator | Swan River Seaplanes |
| Registration | VH-WTY |
| Flight origin | Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia |
| Destination | South Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Occupants | 7 |
| Passengers | 6 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Injuries | 3 |
| Survivors | 4 |
On 7 January 2025, a Swan River Seaplanes Cessna 208 Caravan 675 seaplane with seven people onboard returning to its base in South Perth, Western Australia 19 miles (30 kilometers) east of Rottnest Island crashed during takeoff from Thomson Bay, Rottnest Island, Western Australia. The plane impacted the water with its front section, and the pilot and two passengers were killed. Three other passengers survived with injuries and the one remaining passenger was uninjured.[1][2][3]
Background
[edit]Aircraft
[edit]
The aircraft involved in the accident was a nine year old Cessna 208 Caravan 675 seaplane operated by Swan River Seaplanes. Prior to the accident, the aircraft crashed in 2016, injuring 11 people.[4] The aircraft was ferried to Western Australia from the Australian east coat just seven days before the accident.[5]
Passengers and crew
[edit]There were seven people on board the aircraft, six passengers and the pilot. The passengers were all tourists, two each from Switzerland, Denmark and Australia. The pilot was a 34-year-old Australian. The three fatalities were the pilot and two tourists, one Swiss and one Danish.[6][7]
Accident
[edit]The aircraft crashed on takeoff from Thomson Bay in Rottnest Island at around 4:00 PM WAST. It was supposed to fly to South Perth. Videos of the accident show the aircraft struggling to gain altitude and banking to the left during takeoff and then hit the water with its left wing than submerging 8 metres (26 ft) deep. There are unconfirmed reports that the plane hit an underwater rock at the entrance of the bay during takeoff, causing the crash.[8][9][3]
After the crash, the survivors were rescued, and the 3 injured people in the crash were flown to a Perth hospital.[3] As of January 9, 2025, one of the injured victims was discharged from the hospital.[10]
Investigation
[edit]The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) started an investigation on the accident to determine the cause and dispatched teams to the crash site. Rescue parties included civilian boats, police boats, rangers, helicopters and doctors from the Royal Flying Doctor Service.[10] The aircraft's wreckage was pulled out of the water on the afternoon of January 7, and it will be taken to Perth for further investigation, and then transferred to a laboratory in Canberra.[11] The investigators are also searching for electronic devices that were onboard the aircraft that could provide clues about the accident.[12]
Aftermath
[edit]Swan River Seaplanes, the company operating the aircraft, said that they were "heartbroken" and "devastated" by the crash, and that they sent their condolences to the families of the victims.[13] The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese expressed his deep sorrow for the crash and also sent condolences, as did the Western Australian premier Roger Cook.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Accident Cessna 208 Caravan 675 VH-WTY, Tuesday 7 January 2025, 3 dead". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Light aircraft crashes at tourist hotspot in Australia, killing 3". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ a b c "A seaplane crashes off Australia's Rottnest Island, killing 2 tourists and the pilot". CNN. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Crash of a Cessna 208 Caravan I in Whitsunday Island". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Pilot and 2 passengers killed in WA seaplane crash". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Australia's Rottnest Island plane crash: Swiss, Danish tourists among three dead". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "In Australia tre persone sono morte nello schianto di un piccolo aereo vicino all'isola di Rottnest, una località turistica". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Swiss and Danish nationals among three dead in seaplane crash off Australian tourist island". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "A seaplane crashes off an Australian tourist island, killing 3 and injuring 3 others". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Alexander (9 January 2025). "Cessna Caravan Crashes Off The Coast Of Western Australia, Killing 3". Simple Flying. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
- ^ "Wreckage recovered as ATSB investigators piece together moments before Rottnest seaplane crash". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Rottnest Island seaplane crash investigators to scour electronic devices for clues from flight's final seconds". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "'Heartbroken': Seaplane owner speaks after 'devastating' Rottnest Island crash". Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Three People Died in Seaplane Crash Off Rottnest Island, Australia". Retrieved 9 January 2025.