By Anna Young
A small plane with seven people on board crashed into crocodile-infested waters in Western Australia, leaving one passenger injured as authorities investigate the cause, according to reports.
The Cessna 441 Conquest twin-engine turboprop went down off the coast of Broome in Roebuck Bay when it reported losing engine power shortly after taking off from Broome Airport around 11:25 a.m. Thursday, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The aircraft, carrying two pilots and five passengers, was flying low over the horizon at an angle before suddenly disappearing, a witness said.
“I saw it flying and then dipping quite low, and then I just assumed it had passed over the horizon,” Alex MacNamara said.
“It looked like it was doing a sort of turn on an angle and then it was just dipping quite low.”
Police said one person sustained minor head injuries in the crash, which prompted authorities and marine rescue teams to rush to the scene, the outlet reported.
A man in his 40s was reportedly airlifted to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the six others on board, who miraculously survived, were treated at the scene.
“When we were fishing, we saw the helicopter and then the police came with the boat,” Bili Putra recalled to ABC.
“We were using the phone and then we zoomed in and we saw someone they pulled out from the water.”
The small plane was bound for Mungalalu Truscott Airport, more than 400 miles away, when it reported engine troubles and plunged into the shallow, crocodile-infested waters just three minutes after takeoff, flight data shows.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is urging anyone who filmed the crash to submit their footage.
Officials said a team of investigators is expected on site Friday to examine the aircraft and crash site.
“The investigation team will conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities, including aircraft examination and site mapping, and will recover any aircraft flight recorders or other components of interest for further examination at the ATSB’s technical facilities in Canberra,” the agency said.
“Investigators will also interview flight crew, passengers, and any witnesses, and collect relevant recorded information including flight tracking data and CCTV footage, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information.”
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.