A survivor is winched from the scene.
Picture: Simon Cocksedge
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Emergency services treat the survivor while the rescuer (at left in board shorts) gives his account to police.
Picture: Simon Cocksedge
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Ambulance officers treat the survivor next to the rock pool at North Curl Curl Headland.
Picture: Simon Cocksedge
Source: The Daily Telegraph
A pilot has died and his passenger has been injured after a plane crashed into the water on Sydney's northern beaches.
The pilot's body has been retrieved from the two-seater aircraft, which sank in about six metres of water, 50 metres from the shore at North Curl Curl.
A 32-year-old male passenger was helped to shore and has been treated for spinal injuries.
Local resident Bruce Giffin was sitting in his car in the Curl Curl beach car park when he saw the plane was heading from north to south.
"You could see it was losing altitude, it was going very slow," he said.
"I'm pretty sure from a distance it looked like the propeller had actually stopped, so pretty much from North Dee Why heading into Curl Curl it was gliding.
"He got to probably mid Curl Curl beach losing altitude and decided, I'm not too sure why, to do a 180-degree turn.
"Probably thought he couldn't land on Curl Curl Beach, running out of room and didn't make it. Went straight into the water at North Curl Curl.
"He was heading into the wind. That would have been his best bet to get elevation. I'm not quite sure why he didn't try and land at South Curl Curl beach, possibly thought he was going to run out of beach and maybe end up in houses, so he turned.
"But it was probably a fatal error because once he turned and went with the wind he lost altitude and hit the water."
Mr Giffin said the plane then sank quickly in shallow water and he saw a man swimming out of the wreckage, before locals assisted him.
"He probably freed himself; it's not very deep there.
"He had bad back injuries, it did take him some time before he was able to tell anyone there was someone else in the aeroplane.
"People had gone in the water in their clothes and in their undies."
Mr Giffin said he immediately dialled triple-0 when he saw the crash.
"It was quite surreal; you had to kind of look twice."
The air traffic control website, LiveATC.net, recorded the mayday call as follows:
Light plane: "Mayday, mayday mayday, Light wing 5040. Engine failure just north of er ... north ... we're going to try a beach landing.
ATC: "Station calling Sydney radar say again?
(no reply for several seconds)
ATC: "Station calling Sydney radar for the forced landing say again."
Light plane: "Light wing 5040 we have a er, engine failure."
Nothing more. Sydney radar asks another pilot if he sees or hears anything to let her know.
Rescuing the survivor
A witness who gave his name only as Travis, said he had helped rescue the survivor but believed the pilot remained trapped underwater.
"Me and another guy ... we ran out, swam out, we pulled one guy out, the passenger," Travis told Macquarie Radio.
"But mate ... we couldn't get back out there. There's still a guy down at the bottom, in the plane.
"We got to the aircraft but [the passenger] had already popped out, he was sort of floating.
"He couldn't swim, he'd hurt his back pretty bad so we paddled him over to the shore."
Travis said the survivor was able to move his feet and legs.
The Ambulance Service of NSW said the survivor was treated on the shore for suspected spinal injuries, before being winched off the rocks and taken to Royal North Shore Hospital.
Cliff Curll, who lives on the headland above the crash site, said he saw the man being treated on the rocks.
"The plane is underwater ... there's a chopper looking around the water and police boats are out there."
Constable Jacob Gow and Chief Inspector Colin Green were first on the scene.
After helping rescue the passenger they swam out to search for the pilot.
"Jacob and I ... very quickly, without even thinking, got partially undressed and then swam out to the plane," Chief Inspector Green told reporters at the scene.
"There was a person in the plane but due to the depth of the water and not having any diving equipment, we weren’t able to access inside the plane."
The pilot:
David Rittie, the president of the NSW Sport Aircraft Club, said the pilot had been flying for about six years.
Mr Rittie said he did not want to release the man's name until his family had been told.
He said he believed the plane was a Lightwing Speed, with a Rotax 912 engine.
The rescue helicopter spokesman said the aircraft sent a mayday alert before crashing about 10.15am.
It disappeared off the radar shortly afterwards.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it was aware of the accident.
Source: http://www.canberratimes.com.au
Pilot's body retrieved from plane crash
Four people, including two policemen, risked their lives trying to save a pilot and his passenger when a light plane crashed into the ocean just off a northern Sydney beach.
The passenger in the two-seater plane, which nosedived into rough seas just off Curl Curl beach around 10.25am (EAT) on Friday, was helped to shore but the pilot's body was later found inside the wreckage.
Constable Jacob Gow and Chief Inspector Colin Green were first on the scene. After helping rescue the male passenger they swam out to search for the pilot.
"Jacob and I ... very quickly, without even thinking, got partially undressed and then swam out to the plane," Chief Insp Green told reporters at the scene of the incident on Friday.
"There was a person in the plane but due to the depth of the water and not having any diving equipment, we weren't able to access inside the plane."
Superintendent Doreen Cruickshank said the plane appeared to get into difficulty as it was flying north across the beach.
"It nose-dived into the water, it stayed on the surface for about a two minutes (and then) sank," she said.
The passenger is being treated for spinal injuries at Royal North Shore Hospital.
An ambulance spokesman said the 32-year-old man was in a stable condition.
Strong winds, pounding surf and the rugged cliff terrain complicated the rescue of the man who was winched off the rocks in a stretcher.
"Obviously, with coastal winds it is always difficult ... it's difficult to hear with the noise of the helicopter and the surf.
"(But) it looks like it has been quite a clean extrication of the patient," the ambulance spokesman said.
Police divers retrieved the body of the pilot early on Friday afternoon, but authorities said the wreckage of the aircraft would not be raised from the sea bed until Saturday.
An eyewitness to the crash, who gave his name only as Travis, later told reporters he and another man helped rescue the passenger.
Travis was working at a nearby building site when he saw the aircraft circle overhead before pitching into the ocean at a 45 degree angle.
"Me and another guy ... we ran out, swam out, we pulled one guy out, the passenger," Travis told Macquarie Radio.
"(He) had already popped out, he was sort of floating.
"He couldn't swim, he'd hurt his back pretty bad so we paddled him over to the shore."
The man was able to move his feet and legs, Travis said.
Local resident Alison Butler, who was on South Curl Curl beach at the time, said she saw the survivor standing on top of the plane.
"I clearly saw the wing of the plane with the man standing up on it," she told AAP.
"But it was choppy and when I looked again he was gone."
A spokesman for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter said crewmen were diving down to check the interior of the aircraft.
Police divers were also en route as the joint emergency services operation continued.
The rescue helicopter spokesman said the aircraft sent a mayday alert before crashing at around 10.15am (AEST).
It disappeared off the radar shortly afterwards.
Source: http://news.smh.com.au
ONE person is dead and another has survived after an ultra light plane crashed off Sydney's northern beaches this morning.
A construction worker has told how he and a friend dove into the water and pulled the only survivor free from the wreckage.
Travis Lamb was working in the area when he saw the plane circling in the air before plunging into the water "at a 45 degree angle and flipping’’.
Mr Lamb drove to the beach with a friend, with both diving into the water and pulling out the injured passenger.
They dragged the 32-year-old man to rocks and waited for rescuers.
"He was muttering something about a joyride,’’ Mr Lamb told The Daily Telegraph online.
The survivor has since been rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital with spinal injuries.
Meanwhile, the president of the NSW Sport Aircraft Club said the pilot who died in the crash was well-known and liked among members of the club based at Wedderburn.
"He often flew the aircraft to Ballina where it was built so as he could get it serviced," said club president David Rittie.
"He had just returned to flying after a year off due to some injuries he had sustained not related to flying and he will be sadly missed."
Ambulance Tripe '0' operators were flooded with calls from witnesses to the crash just after 10am this morning.
The plane crashed into the water about 50m offshore and is submerged in 6-metre deep water.
It is confirmed it was a ultralight plane - a Hughes SP2000 - and was registered with the Recreational Aviation Australia - a government body which licences smaller craft.
The sophisticated ultra-light left Ballina aerodrome this morning and was heading to Wedderburn airstrip in western Sydney when it crashed.
Source: http://www.couriermail.com.au
UPDATE 11.53am: THE pilot of a joy flight off Sydney is feared dead and one man has been rescued after a plane crashed off a beach.
A NSW ambulance spokesman confirmed the pilot was believed to still be in the plane, which crashed and sunk into water several metres deep about 50m offshore at Curl Curl beach, north of Sydney.
"We do believe the pilot is in the plane, police will be conducting an operation to retrieve the pilot," he said.
Police divers are expected to try to retrieve the pilot, but an hour-and-a-half after the crash, the chances of their survival appeared very slim.
Earlier paramedics were involved in a dramatic rescue, winching a man with suspected spinal injuries mission off rocks at Curl Curl beach, north of Sydney.
A Westpac rescue helicopter pilot earlier said it appeared there were at least two survivors in the water, but in the confusing scene, it is not clear whether rescuers and local surfers were confused for those being rescued.
But rescuer Travis Lamb, a builder working on a local site, told Channel 9 he swam out with a mate to help one man to shore after seeing the plane circle then dive almost directly into the water.
But he said he could not get to a pilot who he said was "still in the plane".
He said the man he rescued could not say much of what had happened.
"He just said, 'Get me out of the water, my back's gone."
"He popped out of the plane when the plane went into the water."
"He was in a pretty bad way. But he's alive so that's the main thing."
He said he was working on a house nearby when he saw the plane in trouble.
"The plane did a circle then bang straight into the ocean, 45 degrees pretty much," he said.
"Paramedics have accessed one patient who has washed up on rocks and are treating the patient for suspected spinal injuries,'' an Ambulance Service of NSW statement said.
A spokesman for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter said crewmen were diving down to check the interior of the aircraft for any other survivors.
The rescue helicopter spokesman said the aircraft sent a mayday alert before crashing at around 10.15am (AEST).
Water police were among those first at the scene, and helped paramedics get the injured man onto a spinal board, before he was winched from the scene.
Shortly after 10am this morning Sydney Airtraffic Control received a mayday call from the distressed plane.
A Channel 9 chopper pilot hovering above the scene said there were good weather conditions with a light breeze and fine conditions.
Minutes later it disappeared off the radar screen.
Soon after Ambulance 000 operators were flooded with calls from witnesses to the crash.
Spokesman from Westpac Stephen Leahy said: "We have no idea of survivors at this stage - we are just trying to get someone down to the crash site."
He also said he had no information on where the plane had come from.
Surfers also appear to paddled over to see if they could assist.
Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au
One of the victims of a light plane crash in water 50m off North Curl Curl is being treated in hospital for spinal injuries amid reports the pilot is still trapped inside the aircraft.
The two-seater Cessna crashed into the sea about 10.15am.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter dropped a diver to the scene where the light plane lies in 7-10m of water.
Warringah Council lifeguards at Freshwater are also at the scene on jetskis, while Northern Beaches duty officer Insp Col Green swam out to the scene and tried to dive down to it.
Police divers are on their way to North Curl Curl but little hope is held for the person trapped in the plane.
A man who was among the first on the scene told 2GB radio that no one else was around when the plane went down.
``When I got down here there was no-one else here’’ he said.
``So me and another guy just went straight out.’‘
He said he managed to help one man to safety but there was still another person trapped in the plane.
``We got to the aircraft but he’d already popped out,’’ he said.
``He could not swim he hurt his back pretty bad.’‘
The person was helped to the shore by men from a nearby building site and was briefly treated on the rocks before being airlifted to hospital with suspected spinal injuries.
It is believed the pilot of the plane was trapped in the aircraft, which sank soon after hitting the water.
A spokesman for the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter said crewmen were diving down to check the interior of the aircraft.
He said the aircraft sent a mayday alert just before crashing at around 10.15am.
The Cessna disappeared from the radar shortly afterwards.
A man was killed in August 2005 when his plane crashed into the sea off Warriewood Beach.
Source: http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au
.
THE pilot of a plane that crashed into the ocean off Sydney's northern beaches is trapped underwater in the aircraft, according to an eyewitness.
The aircraft plunged into the water about 50 metres off North Curl Curl about 10.15am (AEST) today.
A male passenger was being treated for spinal injuries.
An eyewitness who gave his name only as Travis, said he had helped rescue the survivor but believed the pilot of the aircraft remained trapped underwater.
"Me and another guy ... we ran out, swam out, we pulled one guy out, the passenger," Travis told Macquarie Radio.
"But mate ... we couldn't get back out there.
"There's still a guy down at the bottom, in the plane.
"We got to the aircraft but (the passenger) had already popped out, he was sort of floating.
"He couldn't swim, he'd hurt his back pretty bad so we paddled him over to the shore."
Travis said the survivor was able to move his feet and legs.
The Ambulance Service of NSW confirmed a person was being treated.
"Paramedics have accessed one patient who has washed up on rocks and are treating the patient for suspected spinal injuries," an Ambulance Service of NSW statement said.
He was placed on a medical gurney and television pictures showed him being winched up a cliff face to safety.
The injured man's age was not immediately clear.
A spokesman for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter said crewmen were diving down to check the interior of the aircraft.
The rescue helicopter spokesman said the aircraft sent a mayday alert before crashing at around 10.15am (AEST).
It disappeared off the radar shortly afterwards.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it was not immediately aware of the incident.
Source: http://www.news.com.au
A LIGHT aircraft has crashed into the water at North Curl Curl Beach in Sydney and a mission is underway.
The plane crashed into the water about 50m offshore and is submerged in 6-metre deep water.
A Westpac helicopter is at the scene and a rescue mission is underway with a paramedic being winched to the aircraft.
One person is being treated for spinal injuries. The injured person's age and sex were not immediately known.
"Paramedics have accessed one patient who has washed up on rocks and are treating the patient for suspected spinal injuries," an Ambulance Service of NSW statement said.
A spokesman for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter said crewmen were diving down to check the interior of the aircraft for any other survivors.
"There appears to be a couple of survivors on the surface of the water," a spokesman for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter told Macquarie Radio.
"We're hoping there are survivors, we know there are two people that are being supported by local surfers."
Shortly after 10am this morning Sydney Air Traffic Control received a mayday call from the distressed plane.
Minutes later it disappeared off the radar screen.
Soon after Ambulance 000 operators were flooded with calls from witnesses to the crash.
Spokesman from Westpac Stephen Leahy said: "We have no idea of survivors at this stage - we are just trying to get someone down to the crash site."
He also said he had no information on where the plane had come from.
There are claims that the plane carried two people.
Source: http://www.perthnow.com.au
Emergency services are responding to reports of a light aircraft crashing on Sydney's northern beaches.
The aircraft came down near North Curl Curl beach, the Ambulance Service of NSW and NSW Police said.
Two people appear to have survived the accident at North Curl Curl.
The aircraft crashed around 10.30am and sank in about 20 feet of water 50 metres from the beach.
It can be seen upside down just below the surface of the water.
The Ambulance Service says its emergency SCAT team has treated one patient for spinal injuries.
It says the patient had been washed up on to rocks a short distance from the wreckage of the aircraft.
Helicopters from Westpac Rescue and police as well as a police launch responded to the incident.
Local surfers paddled out to the wreckage to try to help anyone on board.
Source: http://www.skynews.com.au
A plane has crashed into water on Sydney's northern beaches, witnesses have told police.
A NSW Police spokeswoman said emergency services were called about 10.15am.
Two people appear to have survived the accident at North Curl Curl.
The aircraft crashed and sank in about six metres of water, 50 metres from the beach.
A spokesman for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter said crewmen were diving down to check the interior of the aircraft.
''There appears to be a couple of survivors on the surface of the water,'' he told Macquarie Radio.
''We're hoping there are survivors. We know there are two people that are being supported by local surfers.''
Source: http://www.smh.com.au
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