Skydivers die in plane crash

BRISBANE - Five people are confirmed dead after a plane carrying a group of parachutists plunged yesterday into a dam near Ipswich in Queensland, west of Brisbane.

Two other people on board the single-engined plane survived and were taken to hospital.

The Cessna 206, operated by the Brisbane Skydiving Centre, crashed seconds after it took off from Willowbank about 1pm (NZT).

A Queensland police spokesman said one body had been found and four others were in the wreckage, which is submerged in the dam.

"Our investigator on site has confirmed there are five dead but four are still in the plane, which is submerged, upside down," she said. "We believe there are no other missing people. We believe there were seven on board."

One of the survivors was airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital and was expected to undergo arm surgery. The second, a 27-year-old woman, was being assessed at Ipswich Hospital. A spokeswoman there said the woman appeared to have internal injuries and might undergo surgery.

A friend of the pilot was first at the scene and notified emergency services. He helped the woman, who walked away from the crash and was found in a nearby paddock.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said the plane crashed into the dam about 500m from where it had taken off.

He said it could take weeks to determine the cause of the crash.

"I have told the ATSB [Australian Transport Safety Bureau] investigators that if we get any preliminary indications of mechanical problems with the aircraft to let us know to ensure this doesn't happen to another Cessna 206.

"But that's not going to happen quickly. That could be days, perhaps even weeks."

ATSB spokesman Alan Stray said the bureau's formal investigation would begin this morning.

Brisbane Skydiving Centre began operations in 1982 and is one of south-east Queensland's longest-running parachute training organisations.

The centre has been operating with two planes over the Willowbank drop zone, the Cessna 206 and a Cessna 182.

Inspector Noel Powers of Ipswich police said witnesses saw a plume of smoke from the back of the plane before it clipped a tree and crashed into the dam. He said the plane was carrying three instructors, three students and the pilot.

"We are talking to witnesses to try to establish the last moments of the flight," Mr Powers said, "but it appears that it definitely had difficulty gaining height."

- AAP