Daniel Meldrum, Mark Collier and Wayne Healey
When Daniel Meldrum, Mark Collier and Wayne Healey saw a plane crash they didn't think, they just acted.
They were among eight from New South Wales boating around Whitsunday Island to celebrate Mark and his wife Wendy's silver wedding anniversary.
It was the last day of their holiday and they'd anchored at Chance Bay.
All eight had been in the water when the plane crashed about 3.30pm on Thursday.
Mr Meldrum said they'd seen the plane "hit the water" twice before it tried to rise again, but lost sight as it went around a nearby point.
"Next thing we saw (the plane) sort of bank back around into view," he said.
They then heard "crack, crack, crack" as the plan crashed into the trees.
The trio had dropped their gear and rushed to the nearby beach before running barefoot, still in their stinger suits, up the hill. The others had returned to the boat to mayday for help.
Mr Healey said they'd split up running up the hill.
"We kept calling and kept calling... (we) thought the worst when we didn't hear anything," he said.
It was the biggest relief when they heard the pilot say "I'm the pilot, I've got 10 passengers and we're all okay", Mr Healey said.
Mr Collier said they could smell fuel when they reached the plane.
And while they realised the danger he said "we didn't think about that".
"We just wanted to get everyone down the mountain," Mr Collier said.
Mr Healey's wife Michelle was a paramedic and she looked over an injured woman, who her husband had helped carry down the mountain.
"My main concern was to get her down to my wife," Mr Healey said.
All three commended the pilot. "He did as much as he possibly could," Mr Meldrum said.
He'd already freed the passengers by the time the three arrived.
Mr Meldrum's wife Janene said it had been shocking.
"I think we're all still processing what happened... it could have been a lot worse," she said.
"Our first thought when we saw the plane crash (was) there was going to be dead bodies."
Story and photo gallery: http://www.dailymercury.com.au
The Whitsunday Air Services aircraft, which is based on Hamilton Island, was undertaking a routine flight and experienced difficulties, a spokeswoman for the island said.
Hamilton Island immediately notified emergency services, and all ten passengers and the pilot were assessed by paramedics and were then transported to Hamilton Island for further observation.
Minor injuries were sustained by some of the passengers on-board with one passenger requiring further medical attention at Mackay Base Hospital who is expected to be released soon.
All Whitsunday Air Services aircraft are regularly serviced to the highest standards, in accordance with both the manufacturer and CASA requirements.
Today three people were killed after a plane crashed into the water at Barwon Heads on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula.
Australian Volunteer Coast Guard in Victoria said it was a six-seater plane and they were searching for debris.
Victoria Police said the plane came down just before 12.30pm near Bridge Road.
Story and photo: http://www.dailymercury.com.au
UPDATE, 7.55PM: A 25-year-old woman is in Mackay Hospital with head and neck injuries following the heavy landing of a seaplane off Whitsunday Island earlier today.
Preliminary investigations by police suggest that about 3.30pm, a seaplane was conducting a routine landing into Chance Bay when it struck rough water.
The plane bounced before landing heavily, coming to a stop on the beach and crashing into some vegetation.
There were seven women and four men on board the plane as passengers - all aged in their twenties and thirties.
Apart from the woman airlifted to Mackay, no one else on board was injured and they have now returned to Hamilton Island.
The Whitsunday Water Police attended the scene to render assistance.
The plane poses no navigational or environmental hazard and it is expected to be retrieved tomorrow.
At this stage, it appears likely that no further investigation by the Queensland Police Service will be necessary.
5PM: The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said they have received reports of an incident.
A spokesman said they were still gathering information on the incident and no decision had been made on whether it would be investigated.
It is believed the aircraft may be a Cessna 208 Caravan I.
EARLIER: A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said 11 people were on board the plane at the time of the crash and one person is believed to have suffered minor injuries.
The spokeswoman said they are still on scene assessing patients.
The RACQ CQ Rescue crew are on their way to the site of a plane crash near Hamilton Island.
Meanwhile six people had to be rescued after a plane crashed into a dam near the Whitsundays last year in July.
A 25-year-old woman was taken to Proserpine Hospital as a result of the crash.
The airstrip owner said it was a "miracle" no one was killed at the time.
Source: http://www.dailymercury.com.au
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