Two Aboard Feared Fatally Injured In Vintage Airplane Accident

A vintage Tiger Moth airplane has reportedly gone down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Neither of the two people reported to be on board the airplane have been recovered, and they are feared fatally injured.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that the pilot of the Tiger Moth was thought to have been taking a French tourist for a sightseeing flight when the accident occurred. The plane hit the water at a "high speed" near the Couran Cove resort on South Stradbroke Island.

Divers have located the wreckage of the airplane, but there has been no sign of any survivors, according to Senior Police Sgt. Lucas Young. He said the effort has shifted from a rescue mission to a salvage operation.

The Tiger Moth biplane was originally produced in the 1930s, and was used by the air forces of Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as a trainer. The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau will investigate the accident.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.atsb.gov.au