Gippsland GA8 Airvan plane carrying a pilot and six passengers overshot the runway on Rat Island, off the coast of Western Australia, and crashed into the Indian Ocean.
Luckily, there were no injuries reported from the plane that crashed into the Indian Ocean at approximately 8:40 am. Moreover, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) stated that the single-engine plane had “landed long” on the runway.
Officials have confirmed that the GA8 Airvan left the runway and ended up in the water. Subsequently, the incident resulted in significant damage to the plane. ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt reported that some of the passengers on board were children.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has launched an investigation into the incident. It is about a single-engine aircraft carrying a pilot and six passengers at Rat Island, Western Australia.
ATSB Chief Commissioner, Angus Mitchell, stated that the investigators would gather and scrutinize relevant evidence. Furthermore, this will include such as the pilot’s interview, weather data, photos, aircraft operator procedures, and maintenance records.
Owner Confirmation
John Gooch, the owner of Shine Aviation, confirmed to ABC that his plane was involved in the overshoot and crashed into the Indian Ocean incident. The ATSB has revealed that it will release a final report at the end of the investigation. It will detail any safety issues and contributing factors.
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell remarked that if any critical safety issues are identified during the investigation, the relevant parties will be notified immediately for safety action to be taken.
Rat Island is part of the Abrolhos Islands. Furthermore, it is located about 80 kilometers from mainland Australia and has one runway, according to online information.
Plane model details
The GA8 Airvan 8 is a utility aircraft with a single engine manufactured by GippsAero (previously named Gippsland Aeronautics) of Victoria, Australia. Further, it has a seating capacity of up to eight people, including the pilot.
The GA8 is specifically designed to operate in remote areas and from airfields with limited facilities, performing various tasks such as passenger transportation, freight, sightseeing, parachuting, observation, as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and search and rescue (SAR) operations.
Also Read, Delta A321 aborted takeoff while another aircraft was about to cross the runway – AIRLIVE.
