A couple who survived a seaplane crash that claimed three lives have hailed a safety message from the pilot shortly before he died.
The aircraft carrying six passengers and the pilot slammed into the water moments after take-off and sank near popular holiday spot Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, last Tuesday.
Perth pilot James Wong, 34, a 65-year-old Swiss woman and a 60-year-old Danish man, who were both passengers, died.
The four other passengers 63-year-old Swiss man, a 58-year-old Danish woman and Western Australians Jeremy and Patricia Connor, aged 63 and 65 survived.
The Connors broke their silence about the crash on Tuesday with a statement to those involved in the tragic incident.
‘Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with our fellow passengers, their families and friends,’ the statement said.
‘We will be eternally grateful that ourselves and others were able to reach safety.
‘We know that it could have been an even more tragic outcome and we sincerely hope that everyone can overcome what happened and heal as time goes by.’
Pilot James Wong, 34, (pictured) along with a 65-year-old Swiss woman and a 60-year-old Danish man, who were both passengers, died in the crash
The aircraft was carrying seven people when it slammed into the water and sank near Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, last Tuesday. Pictured is the plane wreckage being recovered
The couple added that their thoughts and deepest sympathy were with Mr Wong’s family, friends and colleagues.
‘We will never forget and will always be grateful that his demonstration of how to open the emergency exit was a critical factor in our survival,’ they added.
The Connors thanked people who helped rescue them from the water in Thompson Bay at Rottnest Island and medical staff who cared for them before they were airlifted to a hospital on the mainland.
The couple also acknowledged the surgical and nursing staff at the Perth hospital who treated their injuries and the police and Australian Transport Safety Bureau personnel investigating the incident.
Jeremy and Patricia Connor, aged 63 and 65, who both survived a fatal seaplane crash, have thanked the first responders who saved their lives
‘All of you, without exception, were outstanding and you provided an incredibly generous and professional response that made an enormous difference and means so much to us,’ the Connors said.
The bureau has recovered the seaplane from the ocean floor and is investigating the cause of the crash.
It hopes to publish a preliminary report into what caused the crash within two months.
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