Two men dead after gyrocopter 'joy flight' ends in tragedy
Two men are dead after a gyrocopter joy-flight ended in tragedy in south-west Western Australia.
What caused the gyrocopter to go down is not clear.
The bodies of two men, both from Perth, were removed from the crash site and the news has been broken to their families.
The pair were out sightseeing when something went wrong at about 2.20pm on Wednesday afternoon.
They crashed on a remote stretch off the shoreline at Forrest Beach, between Capel and Busselton.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner while investigations commence into what caused the crash.
The Australian Sports Rotorcraft Association has been notified and will likely assist police with their investigation.
An ASRA spokesman said the association’s Queensland-based incident manager was flying to Perth on Thursday morning to accompany his local counterpart in the investigation.
Shocking to hear of the aircraft crash near Capel this afternoon and the tragic loss of life. My thoughts are with the families, the local community, and the emergency services on the scene.
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) February 6, 2019
A gyrocopter aircraft is also known as an autogyro or a gyroplane. They can only seat two people and are often homemade from kits.
The rotorcraft derives lift from freely turning rotor blades and the rushing air then spins the rotor as the aircraft is thrust forward by an engine-driven propeller, ASRA says.
Police said the exact make and model of the aircraft was not yet confirmed.
There had been unconfirmed reports it was a military helicopter, but a Defence spokeswoman referred inquiries to police.
String of gyrocopter crashes in NSW
There was a string of gyrocopter accidents in NSW late last year.
Two men aged in their 60s were killed crashing into a paddock near Orange in October.
Less than three weeks later, a 50-year-old man died after his gyrocopter crashed into farm machinery at a property near Moree.
In December, an elderly man suffered multiple injuries when he made a hard, forced landing in a field in Aberdeen.
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