Three people have been confirmed deceased after a Turbo Commander operated by Australian company AgAir crashed in Queensland, Australia while performing aerial mapping missions during the recent spate of fires in the already very active northern Queensland fire season.
The Gulfstream American Corporation 695A Jetprop Commander 1000, registered as VH-HPY, was operating as "Birddog 370" when it disappeared from radar between Cloncurry and Mount Isa, in the far northwest of Queensland. The crash site was located near the Eloise Copper Mine site about 40km (24 miles) northwest of McKinlay, Australia.
A member of the public reported what they believed to be an aircraft crash at 2:30 p.m. Australian time, at which point, Queensland's state rescue helicopter was dispatched to search for the aircraft, which was located from the air shortly after arrival in the area. Ground crews were then directed to the site, arriving at 5 p.m. local time and confirming there were no survivors of the accident. Queensland Fire & Emergency Services (QFES) will assist the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) with its investigation.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Fire and Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan released a statement on Saturday night expressing their sympathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of the crew.
“The three had been playing a critical role in saving lives and protecting property by their intelligence and mapping work from the air to help firefighters on the ground,” they said.
QFES released a statement on the crash stating "Our hearts are heavy following the fatal plane crash this afternoon in northwest Queensland and the tragic loss of three people supporting our bushfire response. During natural disasters in Queensland, we respond as a family. That family includes those contracted to support our aerial operations. Side by side we have been fighting these bushfires as one and their loss is felt by all. Our thoughts and prayers are with their family, friends, and those who worked alongside them, including our Air Operations personnel.
AgAir, the company that owned the contracted aircraft made a post to their Facebook page several hours ago stating:
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services offers its deepest condolences to the families of the three people who tragically lost their lives in a plane crash in northern Queensland.
The aircraft was contracted by QFES to support the Queensland bushfire response. It was engaged by QFES to conduct line scans, and travelling from Toowoomba to Mt Isa when it crashed near Cloncurry.
The aircraft was the same type as one that is used as the lead plane for the Large Aerial Tanker (LAT). Both the LAT and the lead plane will be grounded until advised by authorities.
The Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) has been notified of the crash and will conduct a transport safety investigation. The QPS Forensic Crash Unit will investigate the crash of behalf of the State Coroner and QFES will assist the investigation.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families at this time.
This article was updated November 6 at 10:18pm EST
