Two injured as plane over runs runway

Two passengers have been injured after the aircraft they were travelling in from Cairns (CNS/YBCS) overshot the runway on Lizard Island (LZR/YLZI), an island in the far north Great Barrier Reef. The light plane was reportedly carrying nine passengers when it attempted to land on the small island, situated about 1600 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, or 253 kilometres from Cairns.

Queensland Ambulance operations sent two rescue helicopters to attend.
Queensland Police have said details from Lizard Island were light at this stage, but that the injuries suffered by the pair in the crash are believed to be minor.

Police were alerted to an "aviation incident" around 7.20am., a spokesperson said.

Flights to Lizard Island, which is about 10 square kilometres in size, usually take off from Cairns and take one hour. A forensic crash unit is investigating and will establish how the crash happened.

Lizard Island is a granite island about 10 square kilometres in size, with three smaller islands nearby (Palfrey, South and Bird). Together these islands form the Lizard Island Group, and their well-developed fringing reef encircles the 10-metre (33 ft) deep Blue Lagoon

Aircraft Information

Owner/Operator: Townsville Airlines

Aircraft: Cessna Caravan 208B

Registration: VH-NWJ

Serial Number: 208B2161

Engines: Prat and Whitney PT6A-114A

First Flew: January 2010

Age: 14 Years