IT WAS a black day for the North-West towns of Smithton and Stanley yesterday as details emerged of a fatal plane crash on Trefoil Island off the North-West Coast.
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A pilot and three construction workers were killed when a single-engined Cessna 172 crashed after take-off from the tiny island on Friday night.
The crew were the second of three groups of workers set to take the 15-minute flight from the tiny island outpost to Smithton on Friday afternoon.
It is understood that a third crew were looking on as the plane fell to the ground shortly after take-off.
The only person who lives on the island reported seeing the plane go into a steep dive.
Smithton's Insp. John Arnold said the cause of the crash might not be known for several weeks.
A team of investigators including the coroner, air safety and forensic investigators, fire- service representatives and marine police flew to Trefoil Island yesterday.
The dead men were taken to Hobart for post-mortem examination.
Insp. Arnold said the crew had been part of a team working to renovate muttonbird huts used by commercial hunters on the island to harvest the birds.
"It is tragedy to lose these young people and a well-known local identity and businessman," he said.
"It will take a long time for this community to recover."
Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said inspectors would be at the scene for several days.
"A steep dive often means the wreckage is impacted over quite a small area and is very compacted," Mr Gibson said.
"If the wreckage is compacted then the investigators would take quite a while to uncover what went wrong.
"I wouldn't expect anything for a few days, even possibly a few weeks or months."
The news has devastated the tight- knit community and follows the deaths of four other Smithton residents in the past five days. Yesterday many residents were preparing to attend the afternoon funeral of Smithton electrician John Jaeger, who died in his 50s.
Among them was Circular Head Mayor Ross Hine, who spoke of a sense of loss and shock across the region.
"This has been a devastating blow, and our hearts go out to those families' friends and workmates who have suffered through loss of life," Cr Hine said.
"They were well known and well liked. They were young people just making their way in life."
Cr Hine said the incident was distressing for the remaining workers on the island who had seen the tragedy.
"We feel so helpless in what we can do - that's the feeling that will be here today," he said.
"It has been a very difficult time for the workmates who were involved."