Two men have been taken to hospital after a seaplane crash near Moruya on the far south coast of New South Wales.
Key points:
Emergency services were called to Coila Lake just after 1pm
Two men in their 50s sat on the plane while it was sinking
The men were winched to safety and have been taken to hospital
Emergency services were called to Coila Lake at Tuross Head just after 1pm after reports of a plane crash.
Police said the male pilot and passenger escaped the wreckage and sat on the plane while it was sinking before being winched to safety by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
Both men, aged in their 50s, were treated for minor cuts and abrasions and taken to Moruya District Hospital as a precaution.
Shane Daw, general manager for the Westpac Surf Life Saving Rescue Helicopter, says the plane had flipped over in the lake.
He said it could have been a far worse outcome.
“We found two people in the water trying to climb up onto the aircraft itself,” he said.
“The pilot of the seaplane was able to put the aircraft down and, whilst it’s flipped, it could’ve been a far more tragic story.
“There was a bit of luck involved there but also it was very fortunate that we were close by.”
Marine Rescue NSW were also called to the scene of the seaplane crash to assist.(Supplied: Marine Rescue NSW)
Fire and Rescue NSW were also called to the scene to help with hazardous materials, including a potential fuel leak.
“The crews have managed to use boats and booms and put it around the plane as a precautionary action to make sure if fuel does float to the top, it’s going to be contained and allowed to evaporate off before it causes any harm,” said Acting Superintendent with Fire and Rescue NSW Phil Eberle.
Fire and Rescue NSW has referred the matter to the EPA.
Surf Life Savers from the Far South Coast branch were also called to assist, with their branch director praising the teamwork between the emergency services.
“It’s not the typical call you expect to go to but it’s really fortunate outcome and lucky to have so many services so close by,” said Far South Coast Surf Life Saving director Cheryl McCarthy.
An initial search to find a helicopter that later crashed in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains was called off after the pilot made contact with authorities, a preliminary report has been found.
Key points:
A preliminary report into a fatal helicopter crash in the NSW Snowy Mountains has been released
The helicopter, piloted by Sydney businessman Peter Woodland, had become separated from the main group
An initial search was called off, with police sighting the helicopter about an hour before it crashed
The Bell 206 Longranger L-4 was one of seven helicopters traveling on a flying tour from Canberra to Mangalore in Victoria on April 3, when it crashed killing the pilot and passenger.
The helicopter’s pilot was high-profile businessman and Barbeques Galore company director Peter Richard Woodland, 75, and the passenger was his 64-year-old partner.
The helicopter had earlier become separated from the group, with a preliminary report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) revealing an initial search had been called off.
“During their flights, the occupants of the other helicopters in the tour encountered deteriorating cloud and visibility conditions and landed on a property near Wee Jasper,” the report stated.
“When [the Longranger] did not arrive, authorities were notified and commenced a search for the helicopter.”
The helicopters departed from Majura, north of Canberra, on April 3.(Supplied: ATSB website)
Flight path changes
The organizer of the flying tour had initially recommended that the flights track north of the planned route due to the weather conditions and refuel at Wagga Wagga.
The report revealed that Mr Woodland had instead continued further south before landing safely near Long Plain Road in the Brindabella region about 11:30am.
“With the help of a passing motorist, the pilot of the Longranger was able to reach mobile reception and contact other members of the tour group,” ATSB Transport Safety director Stuart Macleod said.
“[Then] the search was called off.”
Recorded flight data showed the Longranger helicopter took off again nearly three-and-a half hours later at 2:53pm.
The helicopter’s flight path from Long Plain Rd to the accident site.(Supplied: ATSB website)
“Police officers dispatched to locate the helicopter as part of the earlier search arrived at the site just after it took off,” Mr Macleod said.
“[They] observed the helicopter depart to the south at a low level, in overcast conditions with low cloud and light rain.”
Less than an hour later, the helicopter had crashed, claiming the lives of Mr Woodland and his partner.
Flight data revealed
Recorded flight data showed the helicopter initially progressed south at an altitude of less than 500 feet to follow lower lying terrain.
At 3:04pm, the helicopter turned north-west and started on a direct path towards Tumut.
But two minutes later it encountered higher terrain and was forced to turn around and head south again.
At 3:17pm, the helicopter turned north and started to climb to 7,000ft above sea level.
“After reaching 7,400ft, the helicopter commenced a steep left-descending turn,” the report stated.
“During the turn, the ground speed increased to 134 knots and the descent rate exceeded 3,800ft per minute.
“At 3:26pm, the aircraft impacted terrain at an elevation of 4,501ft.”
This impact destroyed the helicopter and killed both occupants.
When the helicopter failed to arrive at Mangalore as expected on Monday morning, April 4, a second search commenced.
Emergency services did not find the wreckage from the crash in Kosciuszko National Park until 11:55pm that day.
The wreckage was found near Kiandra in the NSW Snowy Mountains.(ABC Riverina: Shannon Corvo)
The report showed that the engine was still running when the crash occurred.
“On-site examination indicated that the engine was providing power at impact,” the report said.
“There was no evidence of an in-flight break-up or a pre-existing defect with the drive train or flight controls.”
The helicopter collided with terrain between two rock formations in an area of tussock grass near Kiandra.
Pilot with 837 flying hours
Mr Woodland had “about 837 hours of aeronautical experience” at the time of the crash, according to the report.
He owned the Longranger helicopter involved in the incident, and also held a private pilot license.
“The pilot’s total flying experience on the Bell 206 was about 532 hours of which about 355 were in the L-4 variant,” the report stated.
“And the remainder [was] in the B-3 variant.”
Peter Woodland was a high-profile Sydney businessman.
Mr Woodland was from Terrey Hills in the northern suburbs of Sydney and was also the managing director at Interfab, a sheet-metal manufacturer.
The ATSB will continue the investigation into the incident and a final report will be released once it concludes.
“Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate and timely safety action can be taken,” the report said.
The crash occurred on April 3.(ABC Riverina: Shannon Corvo)
