Two aircraft have crashed into Botany Bay over the last 60 years, with greatly different outcomes.
Four crew members and 11 passengers died in 1961 when an Ansett-ANA Vickers Viscount plunged into the bay at night during a violent thunderstorm with lightning strikes.
In 1994, boaties rescued four crew and 21 passengers, including 16 school students, after a chartered DC3 ditched shortly after takeoff on a Sunday morning.
In the 1961 accident, the Canberra-bound aircraft lost contact with air traffic controllers after taking off at 7.20pm on November 30.
However, it was not till 7am the following day the worst was confirmed when wreckage and oil slicks were discovered over a wide area in the bay.
Christmas toys were among personal belongings and aircraft parts washed up on to beaches.
A big section of the plane’s fuselage was located and marked by a buoy, three-quarters of a mile west of Kurnell wharf in the shallow water and mud.
The crash was devastating for the ACT community as nine of the passengers were residents of the capital and several were prominent citizens.
Among those killed were a leading obstetrician, an army major and senior public servant.
The aircraft captain, rather than the control tower, made the decision to take off during a gap between thunderstorms, which had been lashing Sydney.
The subsequent investigation did not make a conclusive finding about the cause, but it led to weather radars becoming mandatory on airliners.
It was the first fatal accident involving an Ansett-ANA aircraft in 25 years.
The second crash occurred on Sunday, April 24, 1994, within two minutes of takeoff of the chartered DC-3, which was bound for Norfolk Island.
Sixteen of the passengers were members of the Scots College pipe and drum band, who were to play at an Anzac Day ceremony on the island.
The DC-3 took off from the new third runway into the bay at 9.10am and, during the initial climb, the left engine malfunctioned and it lost power
The aircraft ditched not far from the end of the runway, floated to the surface and sank again finally after about four minutes.
Those aboard managed to open the rear door rear and throw out liferafts as a flotilla of small boats headed to the scene.
One passenger said later, “I looked out and all I could see was a sea of tinnies surrounding the plane and people just hauling kids and other passengers out of the water”.
Miranda businessman Matthew Shelley, who was skiing with his wife and friends, saw the crash and was among the first to reach the aircraft.
“It came down with a big splash near the end of the new runway,” he told Leader reporter Graham Davis.
“Boats came from all directions.”
Mr Shelley said the pilot was the last to get off, stepping off a wing of the plane into a boat.
An investigation found the circumstances of the accident were consistent with the left engine having suffered a substantial power loss when an inlet valve stuck in the open position.
The overweight condition of the aircraft, which was carrying a lot of band equipment, was given as one of the contributing causes.
LEADER FLASHBACK
Every Friday we delve into the Leader archives to embark on some time travel.
We will bring you photographs of a news event from 57 years of Leader news coverage that you may or may not recall.
Flashback Friday submissions are also welcomed.
Feel free to share your recollections with us on our Facebook page @SutherlandShireStGeorgeNews or email leaderletters@fairfaxmedia.com.au
