How first Boeing 737 to crash in Australia was salvaged by locals
A death-defying plane crash is being immortalised in Western Australia. Wreckage from a Boeing 737 firefighter plane is being put on display as a reminder of a significant piece of aviation history.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00It appeared impossible that anyone could survive the crash of this former 737 passenger jet
00:07in February 2023.
00:09The large air tanker had been involved in fighting fires near Ravensthorpe.
00:13The fact the two pilots walked away unscathed left then WA Premier Mark McGowan in disbelief.
00:19I assume the worst, but I'm advised that the pilots have survived.
00:24That's a miracle.
00:25It was the first time a Boeing 737 has ever gone down in Australia and Donald Henderson
00:30was sent to clean it up.
00:32A mate of mine got the contract to remove it out of the National Park and contacted
00:37me to be one of the main people out there to pick it up piece by piece.
00:43It took six weeks of hard work to clean up the mess.
00:47But it presented an opportunity to preserve a significant piece of local aviation history.
00:52My wife wanted the tail until she saw how big it was and went, I'm not interested in
00:56that because it's 12 metres wide and 8 metres high and it's huge.
01:02Instead he settled for a three tonne jet engine.
01:05And the bottom is where it's hit the rocks.
01:07It's now on public display in the town of Esperance.
01:10I told them I was bringing it back but they didn't believe me.
01:13I was surprised that we even managed to get a hold of it.
01:18Donald did a great job.
01:19And the tail of the 737, which was rejected by Donald Henderson's wife, has now been adopted
01:25by the local council.
01:27All 12 metres of it.
01:29I believe it's one of the biggest planes to crash in Australia.
01:33So we want to display it somewhere that everyone can have a look at it and read a bit about
01:39the story.
01:40It belongs in the area.
01:41It would be really bad if there was nothing off the aeroplane left in the area to show
01:47of what happened.
01:49Hopefully the first and last.