Private seaplane crashes into water near Perth: pictures
A private seaplane has crashed into the water during a take-off attempt near Rottnest Island, killing three people on board, WA Premier Roger Cook has confirmed.
On January 7, 2025, the Cessna 208 Caravan 675 floatplane, registered as VH-WTY, went down shortly after taking off near Thompson Bay off Rottnest Island, which is located 19 kilometers off the coast of Perth in Western Australia (WA).
Video footage shared on X shows the seaplane partially submerged in the water. Reportedly, the wreckage was at a depth of eight meters.
@abcnews picture confirms the crashed plane near Rottnest Island in WA to be VH-WTY. pic.twitter.com/39H5seq8yj— cqplanespotting (@cqplanespotting) January 7, 2025 There were six passengers and a pilot on board the seaplane. The pilot and two passengers were found deceased in the wreckage. Four passengers were rescued, with three having suffered minor to serious injuries.
On January 8, 2025, police divers recovered the bodies of the three victims from the wreckage overnight, WA Premier Roger Cook confirmed in a press conference seen by Daily Mail.
“Recovery of deceased people is really challenging and confronting in itself and the task of recovering bodies from a submerged fuselage at night is challenging”, Cook said. “In eight meters of water, it would have been a difficult and confronting task.”
The pilot has been identified as an employee of Swan River Seaplane. The company’s director Kristy Bailey released a statement offering condolences to the victims’ families and friends.
Local police have not yet confirmed the cause of the crash. So far, investigators suspect that the seaplane may have struck a small limestone outcrop known as Phillip Rock.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has begun a transport safety investigation into the crash, for which it will deploy a team of investigators from its Perth, Brisbane and Canberra offices. The post Private seaplane crashes into water near Perth: pictures appeared first on AeroTime.
A private seaplane has crashed into the water during a take-off attempt near Rottnest Island, killing three people…
The post Private seaplane crashes into water near Perth: pictures appeared first on AeroTime.
