A Boeing 737-300 firefighting plane crashed in Australia with both pilots surviving and receiving minor injuries. They were transported to the hospital. The crash occurred on Monday, 6th of February around 4:00 PM local time.
Coulson Aviation’s N619SW took off from Busselton Airport near Perth at 15:32, FlightRadar24 data shows the plane reached 29,000 feet for firefighting missions in Fitzgerald River National Park. The aircraft routinely dropped firefighting substances at 700 ft during previous flights.
After dropping firefighting substances, flight data indicates the plane began to ascend, as it had done before. Unfortunately, this time the Boeing 737 only reached 1,800ft before crashing near the fire.
A police spokesperson informed 7 News Australia that the two pilots were rescued by helicopter and taken to Ravensthorpe Airport with minor injuries. Coulson Aviation confirmed the crash on their Facebook page with a statement.
According to information from FlightRadar24.com, the plane, which is now based in Busselton, Western Australia, was on its third mission of the day. The two tasks before it involved dropping firefighting agents over the same area.
The data indicates that after dropping the materials on the two prior missions, the aircraft ascended out of the area and returned to its base. The two prior flights each lasted one hour and twenty minutes. The cause of the aircraft’s crash on the third rotation is now unknown, however air crash investigators will work to ascertain this.
Featured Image by COULSON AVIATION
