Three killed as light plane plunges into sea off Goolwa

A single-engine light aircraft plunged into the ocean off Long Bay near Goolwa South at about 4:20 pm on Friday, killing the three people on board, South Australia police said. Emergency crews recovered wreckage and the bodies near the Murray Mouth, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched a safety investigation.

Police identified the occupants by age and hometown on Saturday: a 57-year-old pilot from Morphett Vale and two young men, aged 18 from Freeling and 19 from Pasadena. Senior Constable Rebecca Stokes said the wreckage had been recovered to shore. "The wreckage of that single engine Cessna 210 aircraft has been brought into shore near the Murray Mouth," she said, adding that it was "tragic news for three families in South Australia today."

Local volunteers and multiple agencies joined the search and retrieval operation after emergency services were called shortly before 4:30 pm. SA Police thanked other responders for their work. "Police wish to thank other emergency services, including CFS, SES, Sea Rescue and commercial operators for their efforts and assistance in the search and retrieval operations," the force said.

Witnesses in the popular fishing and boating area recounted seeing the aircraft behave erratically before it hit the water. Sam Rohloff, who was fishing near the Murray Mouth, told ABC News, "We thought you know how they spiral and usually pull back up, but this thing was coming down pretty hard, it just spiralled out of control and smashed straight into the water." A video published by Seven News Adelaide and reported by other outlets appears to show the aircraft spinning before a steep descent; investigators have asked members of the public to hand over any footage.

The aircraft has been described in media reports as a single-engine Cessna. A user-contributed entry on Aviation-Safety.net lists the type as a Cessna 210 Centurion and records the aircraft as destroyed, but the site notes that the information was compiled from news and social media and is not an official record. Authorities have not released a registration number or the flight’s origin and destination.

ATSB investigators were due on scene on Saturday to examine wreckage, interview witnesses and collect recorded flight tracking data. The bureau’s standard inquiry will aim to establish the chain of events leading to the loss of control and the impact forces on the airframe. South Australia Police will prepare a report for the coroner as part of the legal process surrounding sudden deaths.

The crash, about 63 kilometres south of Adelaide, has resonance beyond the local community because it occurred where recreational aviation intersects with busy coastal activity. Local officials and emergency services face the dual task of assisting grieving families and securing evidence needed for a technical investigation.

Federal investigators are also probing a separate small aircraft accident reported on the same day near Normanton in north Queensland, the ATSB confirmed to media, although there is no indication the two incidents are related. As inquiries proceed, authorities urged anyone with information or video of the Goolwa South flight to contact investigators to help piece together a definitive account of what happened.