iscover
The ATSB has begun recovering the wreckage of the seaplane that crashed off Rottnest Island on Tuesday, killing three people.
It comes after the Cessna 208 Caravan 675, VH-WTY, reportedly collided into a rocky outcrop on take-off and plunged into the ocean. Four other passengers on board were pulled from the water, three of whom – two women and a man – were hospitalised with serious injuries.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
Police divers later recovered the bodies of the three deceased from the wreckage.
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said that investigators would now seek to recover and preserve any recorded data onboard the aircraft before transporting it to a secure facility in Perth for further examination.
“During this time, investigators will identify and secure any relevant components for further analysis at the ATSB’s laboratory facilities in Canberra,” Mitchell added.
“We also continue to seek reports from witnesses, in particular anyone who may have footage of the aircraft at any stage of the accident sequence, or in the immediate aftermath.
“It is crucial that our investigators are able to collect all the evidence available without distraction or delay.
“The ATSB’s methodology is built around gathering all of the available evidence before beginning to develop any hypotheses.
“In line with this, our preliminary report will include only the factual information gathered during the evidence-collection phase of the investigation. Safety analysis and findings will be reserved for the investigation’s final report.
“If at any time during the investigation, we discover a critical safety issue, the ATSB will work closely with the relevant stakeholders so action can be taken to address that issue.”
The nine-year-old Cessna, registered to tourism operator Swan River Seaplanes, had been newly acquired and ferried over from the east coast, arriving in Perth around New Year.
The previous aircraft to have used the VH-WTY registration, another Cessna 208 Caravan seaplane, was destroyed in a crash near Hamilton Island in 2016, though all 11 passengers and the pilot had escaped safely.
