CONTAMINATED fuel is suspected of causing Papua New Guinea's worst post-war plane crash, which killed 28 passengers and left four survivors including the Australian pilot and his New Zealand co-pilot.
The twin-turbo-prop Dash-8 operated by Airlines PNG crashed on Thursday evening at the mouth of the Gogol River, 20km south of Madang, its destination, 30 minutes after leaving Lae.
Three of the survivors were yesterday flown from a local hospital to Port Moresby. They include the Australian pilot, Bill Spencer, 64, and his New Zealander co-pilot, Campbell Wagstaff.
A Chinese man in his 50s who escaped through a crack in the burning fuselage remains at Madang's Madilon General Hospital with burns to his back and arms.
The hospital's director of medical services, Billy Selve, said the man was suffering mental trauma: "He's in a stable condition, but there is mental strain."
The fourth survivor is believed to be a cabin crew member. It is understood there were no other Australians onboard.
Most of those who died were parents of students graduating from Divine Word University in Madang, flying up to attend the university's Thanksgiving Day.
A Lae-based Australian businessman, who had left the aircraft just hours before the crash, said bad fuel was the likely cause.
The businessman - a long-time resident of PNG - played down strong rain in the area as a cause, saying sudden changes in weather were a fact of life for PNG pilots.
Captain Spencer is being hailed as a hero after helping the other survivors escape the wreck.
Trevor Hattersley, the Australian high commission's warden in Madang, said last night that Captain Spencer was in a stable condition and had been flown to Port Moresby yesterday in the care of Australian consular staff.
"The pilot's leg is fairly bad, he can't walk, and the co-pilot is shaken up but I don't think he has any injuries," Mr Hattersley said.
Because of heavy rains swelling the Guabe River and cutting off road access, rescuers - health workers, police, firemen and disaster officials - could reach the accident site only by boat.
Staff at the Madilon hospital laid out tarpaulins for the dead near the main gate to the hospital.
However, treacherous terrain has hampered efforts to recover the bodies of the crash victims.
In a statement, the airline, which has grounded its fleet of 12 Dash-8s, said PNG authorities had "quarantined" the aviation fuel supply at Lae airport.
Veronica Gase said her aunt, Christine Matlam, had died aboard the plane with her three daughters and a grandchild.
"She notified her brother from (Lae) airport as she took off," Ms Gase said. "That was the last contact we had with her."
Ms Matlam and her family had travelled from Port Moresby to watch her 26-year-old son take part in the thanksgiving ceremony.
The new PNG government led by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, who visited Canberra this week, had announced only recently that Airlines PNG would be merged with - effectively taken over by - the government-owned national carrier, Air Niugini.
Public Enterprise Minister Mekere Morauta said yesterday in the wake of the crash, the merger plan would be put on ice.
Australian high commissioner Ian Kemish spoke with Mr O'Neill on Friday to pass on condolences to the families and friends of the crash victims, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.
Four investigators from Australia's Air Transport Safety Bureau arrived in Port Moresby on Friday to assist the PNG Air Investigation Commission.
The Australian Federal Police will send a team of six specialists to provide medical and forensic support to assist the identification process.
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