A tragic incident occurred at an airport located north of Brisbane in Australia on Friday where two light aircraft collided mid-air.
As a result of the collision, a man and a woman in their 60s, who were onboard one of the planes, lost their lives. The unfortunate accident took place at Caboolture airfield around 10.30am.
After the collision, debris was scattered across a section of the runway, and numerous emergency services personnel were present at the scene.
According to Matthew Davis, a senior operations supervisor at the Queensland Ambulance Service, a man and a woman in their 60s were pronounced deceased. The second aircraft involved in the collision managed to make a safe landing, and the pilot, who is approximately 70 years old, sustained only minor injuries, with no significant harm.
Davis described the scene as “incredibly confronting.”
“Any incident involving the loss of life, particularly under these circumstances [is] extremely, extremely difficult and hard, obviously, for the first responders and most importantly for the family.”
Police confirmed the planes were flying low when the crash occurred at the eastern end of the airfield.
“I’m not able to speculate on exactly where they were positioned when they collided but I believe that it was in the process of landing and/or taking off,” Superintendent Paul Ready said. “It’s devastating that we’ve had a loss of life.”
“Investigators are on scene. They are talking to the pilot of the other aircraft and once we get that information, we will be in a better position to identify what has occurred.” He further added.
Ready stated that the aerodrome would undergo closure during the police investigation. He also encouraged any witnesses to come forward and get in touch with the authorities. “There will be people who may have seen some of the aircraft and their movements prior to the collision,” he said.
Police Minister Mark Ryan verified the deaths of the two individuals and said that “full investigation” would be conducted to determine the factors surrounding the incident. Mr. Ryan expressed his deep sorrow over the occurrence, describing it as a “very tragic and traumatic event.”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) stated that it was conducting an investigation into the “collision.”
Among the aircraft being inspected for damage, one was registered under the Caboolture Gliding Club.
The Piper PA-25 Pawnee remained on the runway, and the police took photographs of the scene. Notably, the plane sustained damage to one of its wings.
