Seaplane crash: Australia to investigate similar accident in Canada
British family of five and pilot died in Sydney crash on New Year’s Eve
Australian investigators probing a seaplane crash that killed a British family and their pilot on New Year’s Eve will look into a 2015 accident in Quebec that involved the same model of aircraft.
The victims of Sunday’s crash, near Sydney, were Richard Cousins, the 58-year-old chief executive of FTSE 100 firm Compass Group, his fiancee Emma Bowden and her 11-year-old daughter, Heather, and Cousins’ sons Richard and Will. Canadian-born pilot Gareth Morgan, 44, also died.
Morgan was flying the family back to Sydney after lunch during a sightseeing trip when the aircraft went down over the Hawkesbury River, off Jerusalem Bay, north of Sydney. A witness said the plane, a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, appeared to nosedive into the water. Air crash investigators say they don’t yet know the cause of the accident.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Aaron Shaw, the CEO of tour company Sydney Seaplanes, described Morgan as an extremely experienced pilot, with more than 10,000 hours of flight time, CTV News reports. The crash is similar to an accident involving another DHC-2 Beaver that crashed in Quebec in 2015, killing a British family of four, a French passenger and the pilot, says Sky News.
The seaplane model is generally reliable, a transport safety officer told The Sydney Morning Herald. However, investigators do not know if the Sydney plane had been installed with a warning system recommended by Canadian authorities after the 2015 crash.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau hopes to recover the wreckage by the end of the week, reports ABC News.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Bormio: 'a great Alpine getaway'
The Week Recommends From snowy slopes and hot-spring spas, to high-end food and wine, this Italian town has something to offer everyone
By Asya Likhtman Published
-
Crossword: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Angel' visits woman before lottery win
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Mouse keeps tidying up man's shed
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Doomsday group offers 'epic' survival opportunity
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Dead' woman nearly suffocated in morgue bag
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published