National Post (National Edition)
‘THERE WAS SOMEONE THERE’
WITNESSES RUSHED TO AID SYDNEY AIR CRASH VICTIMS
Awitness to a tragic seaplane crash in Sydney that killed a prominent British businessman, his family and the Canadian pilot has described watching his friends risk their lives to try to save the passengers and says he wants the grieving families to know: “There was someone there trying to do something.”
Will McGovern, who was on a houseboat with three friends when the aircraft plunged into a quiet inlet north of Sydney on the morning of New Year’s Eve, said his friends swam over and repeatedly dived underwater — which was “full of fuel” — in a desperate attempt to access the sinking plane.
“The boys were in the water, diving down, for two to three minutes, trying to help these people inside the plane,” he told ABC News.
“The whole time I was freaking out that this fuel was going to spark. The tail was sticking out from the water. This plane was moving fast, it was going down fast — they could have got sucked in. Dead set, they could have died.”
Kurt Bratby, one of the men, said he saw the plane’s windows when he was underwater but could not see inside.
“It was hard because of the oil, but I could see the windows,” he said. “We just couldn’t dive down deep enough really to see more.”
With the oil fumes burning their eyes, the men tried to tie the tail of the plane to their small dinghy but were unable to lift the aircraft. Ultimately, they gave up as the plane sank about 42 feet to the bottom of the Hawkesbury River.
All six passengers were killed, including Richard Cousins, 58, the head of catering giant Compass, who was travelling with his fiancé Emma Bowden, 48, as well as his sons — William Cousins, 25, and Edward Cousins, 23 — and her 11-year-old daughter Heather Bowden. Gareth Morgan, 44, the pilot, was originally from North Vancouver and had extensive experience flying sea planes.
“The families of these poor people,” said McGovern, “they need to know people were there risking their lives trying to help their family members. There was someone there trying to do something.”
Investigators have begun piecing together the final moments of the crash but have yet to uncover any fault with the 1964 Haviland DHC-2 Beaver, operated by Sydney Seaplanes. The passengers were returning to Rose Bay on Sydney harbour from lunch on Sunday at the exclusive waterside Cottage Point Inn restaurant, about 20 miles north of the city centre.
Witnesses said the plane took a sharp right turn before “nosediving” into the water.
As reported by The Daily Telegraph, the same model plane crashed in Canada in August 2015 after stalling during a steep turn, causing the deaths of a British family of four and the pilot.
The crash prompted a report by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in September that recommended that commercial DHC-2 aircraft should be fitted with stall warning devices.
A source told the Telegraph that the plane that crashed in Sydney was not fitted with such a device.
It is understood that few, if any, commercial DHC-2 aircraft in Australia carry the devices.
A spokesman for Sydney Seaplanes said it would not comment on whether a device was fitted while the investigation was underway.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is conducting the investigation, said it was unable to confirm whether the plane was fitted with the device.
Nat Nagy, from the bureau, said the model was typically regarded as reliable.
“It’s important not to draw any conclusions that this is a systemic issue,” he said.
“We will be looking at the maintenance records of the aircraft, talking to the operator, look at the pilot’s background and experience. We’ll also be talking to witnesses to try and piece together those final moments before the aircraft impacted the water.”
Sydney Seaplanes CEO Aaron Shaw described Morgan as an “extremely experienced pilot” with more than 10,000 hours of flight time, including about 9,000 hours of seaplane time.
He said Morgan worked for Sydney Seaplanes on two occasions, the first from 2011 to 2014, after which he went to fly seaplanes in the Maldives before rejoining the company in May 2017.
“On a personal level, he was deeply respected and liked by me and all of the team here as a man and as a pilot,” Shaw said in a statement.
“He flew my family and I to Palm Beach just before Christmas. We are devastated by his loss.”
Shaw said Morgan’s parents live in Canada and have been notified of his death.
A Facebook memorial page has been created in honour of the pilot and friends have described him as kind and humble with a passion for flying.
“He was a devout Christian and a good man with a beautiful soul,” wrote Luke Thornley. “Gareth leaves behind a loving family, precious friends and all those whom he had a positive impact on throughout his life. There are many whom have been blessed by his presence, his spirit and his energy.”
Authorities plan to recover the wreckage by the end of the week — possibly using a crane or airbags — and will examine footage from any cellphones and cameras onboard.
Richard Cousins, a highly regarded businessman, announced in September that he will retire from Compass this year after more than a decade as chief executive. He was due to marry Bowden, a senior editor on OK! Magazine, in July.
They became engaged following the death of his wife to cancer; his sons were due to be best men and her daughter was due to be the bridesmaid.