Fuselage from Mount Martha plane crash pulled from water
Footage captured by go-pro cameras inside the plane that crashed into Port Phillip Bay could contain crucial information into the collision between two aircraft.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Footage captured by go-pro cameras inside the plane that crashed into Port Phillip Bay could contain crucial information into the collision between two aircraft.
Several go-pros had been placed inside the plane by cameraman James Rose — who was filming for a documentary — which police will attempt to uncover as they search through the wreckage pulled out of the water on Saturday.
Mr Rose, 30, and pilot Stephen Gale, 56, died after they were inside the plane when it collided with another Viper S-211 Marchetti light aircraft and crashed into Port Phillip Bay on Sunday November 19.
The second aircraft involved in the collision involved received “very minor damage” and was able to land safely at Essendon airport.
It was understood Mr Rose was filming for a TV show “Any Fool Can Fly” at the time.
Frankston police acting superintendent Martin Bourke said the go-pros could play a crucial role in the investigation.
“James had a number of go-pros in the aircraft that he was using to film a documentary and those go-pros we will be searching for right now to use the evidence to try and determine what causes this accident,” he said.
“The investigation will ultimately bring closure to the families of both men.”
The wreckage was retrieved on Saturday morning after it had been found on Monday about 22m deep and 7km off shore near Mornington.
Several “challenges” including wildlife and weather delayed police from pulling the wreckage out.
“It’s been quite a long week identifying where the plane was and then the complexities of bringing it out of the water,” acting superintendent Bourke said.
It took about an hour to pull the fuselage onto a barge which was then transported to Port Melbourne for investigation.
Any human remains will be recovered from the wreckage before the Australian Transport Safety Bureau examines the plane.
The investigation into the exact circumstances of the incident remains ongoing.
Comedian Tommy Little once again took to social media at the weekend to share another moving tribute to his good mate, Mr Gale.
Mr Gale and Mr Little could be seen embracing in a short clip, celebrating when the former co-host of The Project passed his pilot’s licence.
“The moment I got my license to freedom,” Mr Little captioned the video.
“Thanks for everything Cap.”
EARLIER
Part of the wreckage of a plane that crashed in water near Mount Martha and killed two people last weekend has been discovered.
Water police and search and rescue officers lifted a “large part of the aircraft” out of the water on Saturday morning and have transported it to Port Melbourne for further investigations.
The fuselage discovered is about 4m wide and weighs about a tonne.
Any human remains will be recovered from the wreckage before it is examined further.
The plane was discovered off the shore of Mornington on Monday, 24 hours after it had crashed into the water after collision with another small plane.
Brunswick man Stephen Gale, 56, who owned Jetworks Aviation and cameraman James Rose, 30, died in the crash.
It was understood Mr Rose was filming for a TV show “Any Fool Can Fly” at the time.
The investigation into the exact circumstances of the incident remains ongoing.
Anyone who witnessed the incident on Sunday, or has footage, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au.
Woman run over in horror hospital carjacking
A 66-year-old woman has been carjacked and run over by her own car while taking her husband to the emergency department at Casey Hospital.
Allan refuses to reveal details behind Covid curfew call
Victoria’s Premier has dodged questions about the decision to implement a Covid curfew on Melburnians, after an explosive document revealed the measure was not based on public health advice.