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Pippa Middleton flew on the same seaplane that crashed and killed six people on New Year's Eve.

Pippa Middleton was previously a passenger on the Sydney seaplane that crashed in Hawkesbury River killing all six aboard on New Year’s Eve.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s younger sister had flown on the exact same Sydney Seaplanes aircraft in May with her husband James Matthews in May during their Australian honeymoon.

At the time various news sites reported Middleton and Matthews had boarded a seaplane to take them to an exclusive Sydney restaurant, where they were served a seven-course meal that included kangaroo tartare.

On December 31, a British family were aboard the same plane for a “wine and dine” joy flight.

UK businessman Richard Cousins, 58, his sons, Edward and William Cousins, aged 23 and 25, his fiancee Emma Bowden, 48, and her daughter, Heather Bowden-Page, 11, were all on board when the single-engine 1964 DHC-2 Beaver seaplane when it plunged into Jerusalem Bay.

The entire family died in the crash. Experienced pilot Gareth Morgan, 44, also died.

Authorities are still investigating what caused the fatal crash, as previous Sydney Seaplane's customers shared stories of good and bad experiences aboard their vehicles.

Meanwhile, Sydney Morning Herald reports the plane had been "destroyed" in a fatal accident in 1996 and rebuilt. According to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report, the plane was being flown as a crop duster when strong winds contributed to a crash that killed the pilot in November 1996 in NSW.

Sydney Seaplanes say the plane, which has been described as "reliable" had only relatively recently had its engine replaced.  Managing director Aaron said its planes' engines were replaced for every 1100 flying hours, and the plane that crashed had flown just 200 hours since its last replacement.

Authorities had hoped to recover the aircraft on Thursday from where it sat under 13 metres of water so they can gather information to help determine what caused the crash.

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Top Comments

Guest 6 years ago

"Pippa Middleton flew on the same seaplane that crashed and killed six people on New Year’s Eve."

So? Many people flew in that plane before it crashed. Why should we care that Pippa Middleton was one of them? Are we meant to feel especially happy that she wasn't involved in a crash, moreso than some non-celebrity person?

Rush 6 years ago

Pretty disrespectful (and shallow) to take a tragedy and make it about Pippa rather than the people who were killed.

Guest 6 years ago

Exactly. Celebrity lives matter more, it would seem.