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Konrad Tillman

I Almost Died In A Plane Crash: Here Is How I Came Close To Death In The Sydney Sea Plane Crash On New Year's Eve 2017

Intro


I'll be the first to admit that I believe flying is the safest possible mode of transport. However, there was one time in my life when I got close to death, and I mean really close. At the time, I was about 16 on Christmas Holidays with my family when we decided to head to Cottage Point Inn for a New Year's Eve lunch (this is in 2017).


Sydney Seaplanes DHC-2 Beaver

Perhaps, you might have heard about what happened in the news. Well, here is what happened in my story.


The Day


It was a beautiful sunny day in Sydney and perfect for an early New Year's Eve celebration. Being obsessed with aviation, when we arrived at Rose Bay Water Airport, I asked to sit in the co-pilot seat since only one captain operates these small 8-seater birds.


Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

The flight over to Cottage Inn was a beautiful one and very smooth. I've always been more hesitant about getting on smaller planes for many reasons, but actually, the captain was great with the takeoff and landings.


Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017


Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

Once we landed, we were taken over to the inn for our lovely lunch that lasted a long, long time.


However, I was a little bratty kid and still enjoyed the occasional tantrum when I was tired. It came about 2:45, and I wanted to leave to go back to Sydney to sleep, but my mum wanted to stay for dessert. The staff informed us that two seats were available on the earlier flight, and I wanted to go with my sister while my mum ate her dessert.


As fate would have it, I cooled off and decided to wait for our flight at 3:45. Well, I might have made the smartest decision ever.


Around 3:30, right before we were scheduled to pay the bill, the staff came over to inform us that our flight had been canceled and we would offered a free taxi back to our hotel in Sydney. At the time, we were not informed about the reason for the cancellation.


That was when a notification popped up on my mum's phone that a Sea Plane had crashed into Jerusalem Bay, just outside of the Rose Bay Water Airport.


Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

So what happened? First of all, my thoughts go out to the family and the pilot who passed away. I cannot begin to imagine how traumatizing that must have been to go through. It's so scary to think that life can go away in the blink of an eye, and my prayers are with you.


The accident presumably occurred due to a carbon monoxide leak in the exhaust. Thus, the pilot's performance was adversely affected when operating the aircraft.


The plane had followed a different flight path for this specific flight since it wasn't able to climb up to the correct altitude. Around 3:15 pm, the plane entered the water invertedly.


Another interesting finding is that the same plane was destroyed in 1996 while operating as a cropduster. The airplane was then completely rebuilt and, according to the aviation authorities, was rebuilt correctly.


Sydney Sea Plane Crash 2017

This Shook Me


Once again, I just want to say my thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this tragedy. I was so fortunate that I wasn't on that flight, and sometimes, I think about how crazy life can be. This experience inadvertently affected me for years to come, and during my flights over the next year and a half, I became scared of flying. Therapy eventually helped me combat it, but one flight over to Hawaii almost induced a panic attack.


For many years, I didn't think about this event until someone asked me: what was your closest experience to death? Even if I have been held at gunpoint multiple times, been stalked (never robbed), and had countless other encounters, this was the time I truly felt closest to death. It is primarily due to a lack of control.


Final Thoughts


I gotta tell you, this was quite scary. I'm not here to say that I was necessarily in immediate danger, but realistically, I overlooked actually how close I was to death. If my mum had let me on that plane, I wouldn't have this blog. Somehow Sydney Seaplanes still operates, but trust me on this, I don't think I could fly them again🥴.





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