Pilot escapes jail over British tourist’s death in crash

The pilot who caused a fatal light aircraft crash on an island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has been saved from jail.

In January 2017, 29-year-old British tourist Jocelyn Spurway was killed and 21-year-old Irish woman Hannah O’Dowd was seriously injured when the plane hit sand on Middle Island.

A jury found pilot Leslie Woodall guilty of dangerous driving causing death and serious bodily harm, after a brief trial that focused on his actions after one of the plane’s engines suddenly failed.

Woodall was given a two-year sentence, completely suspended – meaning the 64-year-old will remain free as long as he adheres to 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 shut off and Woodall turned the plane sharply to the left.

The Cessna 172N then rapidly lost altitude, before one of its wings hit sand and it rolled over.

Ms Spurway suffered a fatal spinal cord injury, and her friend Ms O’Dowd suffered traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures. Woodall also suffered serious injuries and a 13-year-old boy on board suffered a broken ankle.

Prosecutors argued that the cause of the accident was not the engine failure, but Woodall’s reaction to it.

Aviation experts who gave evidence during the trial agreed that Woodall, an experienced pilot, was against flight training and best practice. He said, it should have kept the wings straight in order to glide and land safely.

However Woodall’s defense team argued that he had little other options available in the extremely stressful situation.

In a police interview in court in 2019, he told officers he was trying to reach a pile of sand, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

“I decided not to land because the water was deep and I was concerned about the risk of drowning and the danger of bull sharks,” the pilot said.

“I truly believe I did everything possible to ensure the safety of those on board the aircraft.”