Light plane crashes into crocodile infested waters in Broome

A light planed has crashed into crocodile infested waters in Broome, police said.

The incident happened in shallow water at Fisherman Bend in Roebuck Bay, an area inhabited by saltwater crocodiles, about 11.25am on Thursday.

Emergency services including police, St John WA, marine rescue and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services are responding to the incident.

“One person reportedly sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” a police spokesman said.

A St John WA spokesman said multiple crews were sent and a man in his 40s was taken to Broome Hospital.

The spokesman said six other people were being assessed at the scene but are not believed to any any life threatening injuries.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has been notified of an accident at Broome involving a Cessna 441 and is currently gathering further information.

ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said they had commenced an investigation into the accident involving a Cessna 441 Conquest twin turboprop aircraft near Broome Airport.

“As reported to the ATSB, shortly after the aircraft took off from Broome’s runway 10 it encountered a loss of engine power,” he said.

Transport safety investigators specialising in aircraft operations, engineering and accident survivability from Perth, Canberra and Broome have been sent to the crash site at Broome.

Mr Mitchell said once the team were on site on Friday, they would conduct a range of evidence gathering activities, including examining the aircraft, site mapping and recovering flight recorders.

He said investigators would also interview flight crew, passengers, and any witnesses, and collect relevant flight tracking data and CCTV footage, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information.

“The ATSB asks anyone with video footage of the accident flight, or its immediate aftermath, to contact us via the witness form on our website: atsb.gov.au/witness at your earliest opportunity.” Mr Mitchell said.

A witness told ABC Kimberley they saw a plane flying low before it disappeared past the mangroves.

“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.”

Fisherman Bend is a 500m long sandy beach lined by mangroves on the shoreline of Dampier Creek in Broome.

The area is inhabited by saltwater crocodiles that are often seen around the mangroves and is part of the Broome Crocodile Control Zone.

More to come.