Two brothers among three people killed in small plane crash at Tinamba West
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 onboard a small plane that 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 licensed 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 HeraldSun 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.’
More to come.
