The pilot has been identified as Robert "Roy" Watterson. Photo / Facebook
The pilot has been identified as Robert "Roy" Watterson. Photo / Facebook
A pilot, two children and their father were killed after a light plane crash occurred north of Brisbane.
Passengers on board the aircraft were believed to be on a "family joy flight", with the aircraft crashing into the water around 9am local time on Sunday and overturning.
The pilot has been identified as 69-year-old Brisbane man Robert Watterson, 67, also known as Roy. His family have been notified. Police do not believe he was related to the other passengers.
"The families became aware when they knew the aircraft hadn't returned on-site and they began looking at social media posts," Inspector Craig White said.
"The family are deeply traumatised, as you can expect."
The plane, a Rockwell Commander 114 with registration VH-WMM, was owned by Mr Watterson. It's believed to have been taken on a prearranged joy flight.
Speaking to media on Sunday afternoon, Inspector White said the aircraft was seen to disappear behind two mangroves, where the wreck was spotted by another plane shortly after.
Police recovered the bodies of four people at 12pm and authorities will continue their investigation into the cause of the accident.
A light plane has crashed into the water near Brisbane. Photo / 7 News
Chief Commissioner of the Australian Transport Bureau, Angus Mitchell, said aircraft operation and maintenance teams from Brisbane and Canberra will be arriving at the scene to determine the nature of the crash. He also called on any potential witnesses to come forward to help authorities with the investigation.
"Early reports are it looks was though it was not long after takeoff, however, we'll need to confirm that with air traffic control," said Mr Mitchell.
The drying mangrove is expected to make the recovery of the wreckage quite difficult.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority CASA confirmed to news.com.au earlier on Sunday the aircraft was a 1977 Rockwell Commander; a four-seater, single-engine plane.
Queensland Police also confirmed that a multi-agency operation would be involved in the investigation.
"A multi-agency operation is underway with Queensland Water Police officers and divers along with the Forensic Crash Unit assisting other agencies, including the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, as investigations continue," a statement read.
The suspected location where the plane crashed. Photo / FlightAware
Speaking to media earlier today, Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the plane was in a difficult position for rescuers to reach.
"The plane is in a very, very difficult position in the wetland area and we currently have police and divers travelling to that area," she said.
According to FlightAware, the plane went down near Redcliffe, off the coast of the Kippa-ring Conservation Reserve.
Coast Guard, Australian Transport Safety Bureau and police boats flocked to the scene to help, but a spokeswoman for Queensland Police told news.com.au a specialist diver was needed to get inside the aircraft.
The crash site is close to Redcliffe Airport, but it is not yet known how long the plane was in the air before it crashed, or what caused the incident.
It's not known if the plane's pilot was part of the Redcliffe Aero Club, with a spokesman for the club declining to comment when contacted by news.com.au earlier in the morning.
