A light aircraft plunged into the ocean off South Australia’s coast near Long Bay, south of Adelaide, on Friday afternoon, prompting a major search and rescue operation.
Authorities later confirmed that all three people on board were found dead — the experienced 53-year-old pilot and his two teenage passengers. The aircraft, a single-engine light plane, hit the water in view of witnesses, and emergency teams responded quickly to the scene.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has begun an investigation into the cause of the crash, recovering the wreckage and reviewing available evidence, with a preliminary report expected in the coming months.