What happened
During an emergency medical evacuation, a Britten-Norman Islander was traveling from Vanrook Station toward Cairns Base Hospital. The flight was transporting a critically injured individual to receive urgent medical care. While returning to the destination, the pilot encountered significant visibility issues caused by dense smoke resulting from seasonal agricultural sugar cane burning in the region.
Because the aircraft lacked radio navigation equipment, the pilot struggled to identify the Cairns airfield through the heavy smoke. As the onboard fuel supply reached a critical level, the decision was made to perform an emergency ditching in the ocean, approximately 24 km north of the coast.
The impact caused the aircraft to sink almost immediately. During the rapid descent of the airframe, the crew and passengers were unable to retrieve the unconscious patient from the cabin. Despite the loss of the patient, three survivors managed to exit the sinking wreckage. After spending six hours in the ocean, the individuals eventually reached a shoreline.
Findings
Investigations into the incident determined that the primary factor leading to the ditching was fuel exhaustion following the inability to navigate through smoke-obscured conditions.