Plane crash in the Pioneer Valley claims two lives

Two people are believed to have died in a light plane crash west of Mackay.

Police were called shortly before 9am on Saturday by a member of the public alerting them to the crash in rugged terrain near Finch Hatton, a small community in the Pioneer Valley.

A rescue helicopter located the wreckage from the air at about 11.30am.

Emergency services were still trying to reach the scene on Sunday afternoon, but the occupants, a 73-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman, were presumed dead.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the SOCATA TB20 Trinidad single-engine light aircraft crashed into steep, mountainous terrain.

“Transport safety investigators from the ATSB’s Brisbane office with experience in aircraft operations and maintenance are travelling to the area on Sunday as part of the evidence collection phase of the investigation,” it said.

“They will collect and examine relevant evidence including analysing imagery from the accident site, interviewing involved parties, reviewing relevant weather data, obtaining pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and downloading any flight tracking data.”

The ATSB asked witnesses to contact them.