An Australian scuba instructor has been hailed as a hero after rescuing the pilot of a gyroplane that crash-landed on Fraser Island, aka K’Gari, in Queensland.
Gyroplanes are small aircraft that use an unpowered rotor for lift and a rear propeller for forward thrust. The incident occurred in calm conditions at around mid-day yesterday (18 April).
Mark Davies, owner-instructor at Karma Dives, saw the gyroplane fly low overhead and hit the beach only about 50m from his position at Moon Point on the island's west coast.
He had been working as a deckhand with a group of more than 40 whale-watching tourists on a Whalesong Cruises vessel. The crew and guests had been in the process of reboarding the boat to depart when the gyroplane descended, only narrowly missing them.
Davies said that the gyroplane had sounded as if it was low on fuel. It had bounced once on the sand before coming to rest and bursting into flame. He had sprinted over to attend to the pilot, who had fallen from the plane on impact.
The diver was able to drag the casualty, reported to be a man in his late 50s, away from the wreckage despite the flames and smoke billowing above them.
At that point the pilot appeared to be unconscious but Davies had checked that he was breathing and he later came round and was talking by the time the emergency services arrived. Davies reckoned that his landing on soft sand might have saved his life.
While Davies was attending to the pilot the boat crew used an extinguisher to put out the blaze. A LifeFlight aeromedical crew and Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics treated the pilot for spinal, chest and limb injuries. He was airlifted to hospital in Brisbane in a stable condition.
Davies has been diving in various parts of the world since 2011 and is a PADI IDC Staff Instructor and, reflecting a more recent passion, a Freedive Instructor.
“Big shout-out to our deckhand, Mark from Karma Dives, who didn’t hesitate to go help,” posted Whalesong Cruises owner Rebecca Greenshields. “He is a hero, as the outcome could’ve immediately been a lot worse if he wasn’t there to help!”
Also on Divernet: The complete guide to Queensland diving: Everything you need
