Barwon Heads, Geelong: Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke was on board skydiving plane that crashed with 17 people on board
A Victorian MP was among seven people rushed to hospital after a skydiving plane crashed in south-west Victoria.
Emergency services were called to Leopold, near Geelong’s Barwon Heads Airport, about 8am on Friday to attend to the downed aircraft.
Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke was one of 17 on board when the plane crashed shortly after take-off and was taken to University Hospital Geelong with whiplash.
He has since had x-rays and CT scans and is doing ‘fine’.
Mr Edbrooke, an experienced parachutist, recalled how the plane lost all power within moments of leaving the runway.
“The plane suddenly lost power after takeoff and the pilot did a fantastic job keeping us out of the water,” he said The age.
Six people have been injured, three in serious condition, after a skydiving plane with 17 passengers on board crashed near an airport in southwestern Victoria.
Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke (pictured) was on board the plane when it crashed shortly after take-off. He was rushed to hospital after suffering whiplash
He thanked the first responders who responded to the scene and joked that he can now buy a Lotto ticket.
Mr Edbrooke has promised he will be back to work in no time.
“Very relieved to report that Paul is doing well and tells me he will be back to work in no time,” Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan posted on social media.
“I’m doing my best for all the other passengers, and a big thank you to our wonderful first responders, as always.”
A former firefighter, Mr Edbrooke, resuscitated an 8-year-old girl from drowning in San Remo last year.
In 2016, he saved the life of an injured man who was convulsing in the street in Israel.
Mr Edbrooke was one of eight patients taken to hospital
Another man in his 30s had to be airlifted to Alfred Hospital after suffering injuries to his upper body. He is in a stable condition
Three others were in serious condition and another three required further evaluation and were taken to Geelong Hospital.
An engine failed shortly after takeoff, prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing, narrowly avoiding a landing in a river
Paramedics assessed ten other patients at the scene, but they did not require further treatment.
Shortly after take-off an engine failed, causing the pilot to divert the flight and immediately land, narrowly missing Lake Connewarre.
Passengers on board told Nine News that the plane had climbed to about 600 feet when they felt the plane losing power.
Victoria Police said the plane “encountered difficulties before making an emergency landing near Connewarre” after leaving Barwon Heads Airport.
The pilot was praised for his quick thinking by Federation CEO Richard McCooey, who said lives could have been lost.
“This was a critical engine failure and it appears the pilot handled this exactly as pilots are taught: you land straight, land immediately and that’s what he did,” he said.
The pilot and 16 solo skydivers were able to leave the plane without assistance after the crash.
Photos of the wreckage show the nose of the plane completely ripped off.
The plane had crashed on the Leopold side of Lake Connewarre while emergency services remained on scene.
SES emergency personnel attended the scene and assisted paramedics in transporting passengers across the airport’s uneven terrain.
Emergency services were called to Barwon Heads Airport in Connewarre, Geelong, about 8am on Friday
Skydive Australia, the plane’s owner and organizer of the skydive, confirmed that the plane made an ’emergency landing’ early in the morning.
“The pilot, who is fully licensed and trained … followed all applicable aviation procedures and made the decision to land the aircraft in a location that would ensure everyone’s safety,” the company said in a statement.
Skydive Australia said it would work with authorities to determine the cause of the incident.
An investigation into the cause of the engine failure is now underway and will be handled by Victorian Police.
Frankston MP Paul Edbrooke vowed to be back in Parliament in no time after scary ordeal