<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>336247</docID> <postdate>2025-01-08 14:28:24</postdate> <headline>Investigation launched into fatal seaplane crash</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-336248" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/seaplane-crash.jpg" alt="" width="782" height="440" /></p> <caption>Three people have been hurt and three others are unaccounted after a seaplane crash. Photo: ABC News</caption> <p class="wire-column__preview__author"><span class="kicker-line">By <b>Savannah Meacham </b>and <b>Aaron Bunch</b> </span></p> <div class="wire-articles__item__meta"></div> <div class="wire-column__preview__text" id="preview-body"> <p><strong>Investigators are piecing together how a seaplane crashed near a tourist island, leading to the deaths of three people and seriously injuring three others.</strong></p> <p>Police believe a privately owned Cessna 208 Caravan 675 aircraft struck a small limestone outcrop called Phillip Rock while taking off from Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, about 4pm on Tuesday.</p> <p>It plunged nose-first into the water near Thomson Bay with seven on board including the pilot.</p> <p>Three bodies were pulled from the wreckage by police divers on Tuesday night after a frantic search through the afternoon for the missing passengers.</p> <p>The victims include a 65-year-old Swiss woman, a 60-year-old Danish man, and a 34-year-old male pilot from Perth.</p> <p>Divers faced a challenging and confronting recovery of the deceased, who were discovered inside the wreckage eight metres below the water's surface, Police Minister Paul Papalia said.</p> <p>Four people were helped from the water after the crash, three of whom were taken to hospital with a range of injuries</p> <p>The survivors include a 63-year-old Swiss man, a 63-year-old West Australian man, a 65-year-old West Australian woman and a 58-year-old Danish woman.</p> <p>WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said there were still parts of the wreckage submerged and authorities would be working to get everything out of the water.</p> <p>He said there was a 200-metre exclusion zone in place while police and Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) officers conducted investigations and recovered the remaining parts of the aircraft.</p> <p>Mr Blanch said the police investigation will look into how the three people died while the ATSB will investigate how the crash happened.</p> <p>The agency has sent a team from Perth, Brisbane and Canberra who specialise in aircraft operations and maintenance and "human factors", ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said in a statement.</p> <p>The investigation will gather evidence including recovering aircraft components to be examined at the agency's technical facilities in Canberra, interviewing survivors and witnesses, and collecting flight data and maintenance records.</p> <p>Witnesses said the plane made a huge splash when it hit the water.</p> <p>"It was just a big splash, it wasn't a big explosion or anything crazy," holidaymaker Hayden Harvey told The West Australian.</p> <p>"It's obviously like a sort of drop in the heart."</p> <p>Emergency services and civilian vessels rushed to the scene to help pull passengers from the plane.</p> <p>WA Premier Roger Cook said his thoughts were with the family and friends of the victims but also thanked the first responders, including civilians, who rushed to help.</p> <p>"They responded with true Western Australian spirit and the efforts undoubtedly save lives," he said.</p> <p>The images we are seeing of an emergency unfolding off Rottnest Island are deeply concerning.</p> <p>The Cessna plane had been recently acquired by operator Swan River Seaplanes, which runs scenic flights around Perth and Rottnest Island.</p> <p>The plane arrived on New Year's Day after flying from NSW and remains registered to its previous owner Whitsunday Air Services Pty Ltd.</p> <p>Rottnest Island, also known as Wadjemup, about 20km off the coast, is a popular holiday spot, attracting thousands of Australian and overseas visitors each year.</p> </div> </body>