Two of the three young people killed in a horror plane crash have been identified as brothers.
The two brothers, aged 20 and 16, and a 15-year-old local male were on board a small plane when it smashed into a paddock and burst into flames in Victoria’s Gippsland region on Saturday.
The brothers were from the Goulburn Valley town of Tongala while the 15-year-old was from Tinamba.
All three victims were related.
The plane was seen circling for about 15 minutes before it crashed into the paddock near Heyfield-Upper Maffra Rd, in Tinamba West.
The plane was flown by a 20-year-old licenced pilot.
Flight Envelope and Edge Aviation consultant Lorraine MacGillivray described the crash as a ‘tragic accident’ and said the family were ‘broken’ and ‘in a lot of pain’.
‘We’re in a state in the industry at the moment where we are looking at training, we’re looking at maintenance, we’re looking at particularly loss-of-control flight accidents,’ she said, the Herald Sun reported.
‘It’s up to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to conduct the investigation, so I cannot pre-empt any cause for this accident.
‘I have some ideas – they could possibly be premature – we’ve got a situation where in Australia at the moment the ATSB can be selective on the accidents they investigate – I’m very happy they are investigating this accident.’
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell confirmed it had launched an investigation into the incident on Saturday night.
‘As reported to the ATSB, the aircraft collided with terrain in a paddock and was destroyed in a post impact fire,’ he said.
‘The ATSB is deploying to the accident site a team of transport safety investigators from its Canberra office, specialising in aircraft operations and maintenance.
‘Investigators will conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities on site, including wreckage examination and recovery of any relevant aircraft components for further examination at the ATSB’s technical facilities in Canberra.’
He continued: ‘Investigators will also seek to interview any witnesses and collect relevant recorded information including any flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information.
‘The ATSB anticipates publishing a preliminary report, detailing the information collected in the investigation’s early evidence gathering phase, in about six to eight weeks.’
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
