The pilot who caused the fatal crash of a light plane on an island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef has avoided prison time.
British tourist Jocelyn Spurway, 29, was killed and Irishwoman Hannah O'Dowd, 21, seriously injured when the plane hit the sand on Middle Island in January 2017.
A jury found pilot Leslie Woodall guilty of dangerously operating a vehicle causing death and serious injury, following a short trial focusing on his actions after the plane's engine suddenly failed.
Woodall received a two-year suspended sentence, meaning the 64-year-old will remain free as long as he complies with certain conditions.
The three-day trial in the Brisbane District Court showed footage filmed by one of the three passengers inside the plane, which captured the moment the engine stopped and Woodall abruptly turned the plane to the left.
The Cessna 172N then quickly lost altitude, before a wing hit the sand and it rolled.
Ms Spurway suffered fatal spinal injuries and her friend Ms O'Dowd suffered head trauma and a series of fractures. Woodall was also seriously injured and a 13-year-old boy who was on board suffered a broken ankle.
Prosecutors argued that it was not the engine failure that caused the crash, but rather Woodall's reaction.
Aviation experts who testified at the trial agreed that Woodall, an experienced pilot, went against flight training and best practices. He should have kept the wings level so he could glide and land safely, they said.
However, Woodall's defense team argued that he had few other options available to him in a very stressful situation.
During a 2019 interview with police in court, he told officers he was trying to reach a sandbar, according to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“I decided not to land in the water because it was deep and I was worried about the risk of drowning and the risk of bull sharks,” the pilot explained.
“I truly believe I did everything I could to ensure the safety of those on board.”
