Jet crashes into Port Phillip Bay after mid-air disaster involving two planes on ‘sortie’
An experienced pilot who was the first woman to fly in the Royal Australian Air Force’s Roulettes team was in the plane that landed safely after Sunday’s mid-air disaster.
Police & Courts
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Qantas pilot Joanne Mein was on board the fighter jet that landed at Essendon Airport following the tragedy.
Her recollection of what unfolded in the air before Mr Gale’s and Mr Rose’s plane plunged into the water will be central to the police investigation under way as authorities search for the bodies of the two men.
It is not yet clear whether Ms Mein was flying the plane that returned to the airport.
She began working for Qantas in 2002, and before that worked as an RAAF pilot.
An experienced pilot, Ms Mein is believed to have been the first female pilot to join the Royal Australian Air Force’s Roulettes aerobatic display team in the 1990s.
She was the first woman to fly in a military precision flying team.
‘Recovery mission’
The search to find two men after their fighter jet plummeted into the water near Mt Martha is being treated as “solely a recovery mission”, police say.
Victoria Police Inspector Terry Rowlands said a fleet of police and coast guard vessels were scouring Port Phillip Bay in a bid to find what they believe will be the bodies of cameraman James Rose and pilot Stephen Gale.
Insp Rowlands said the incident was “unbelievably tragic” for the families of the two men, but authorities had not located additional debris after finding a plane tyre and what was believed to be part of a wing on Sunday afternoon.
The search, co-ordinated between police, the Air Wing, Port of Melbourne Authority and coast guards, continued early on Monday morning and is likely to continue well into the evening before it resumes on Tuesday.
Insp Rowlands said the search was now “solely a recovery mission”.
“(It is) unbelievably tragic for the families and all involved, most definitely,” he said.
“So far we haven’t been able to find the second aircraft.
“We will continue until we find the bulk of the wreckage.”
The search is covering “quite a large area” — about three nautical miles, with stable currents and minimal wind on Sunday believed not to have caused wreckage to float further apart.
It is not clear exactly how deep the water was where the plane went down.
The primary focus of the search on Monday was to locate any debris before divers entered the water to find the two men.
Sonar equipment has also been deployed in an attempt to find any wreckage that may have sank to the sea floor.
Sergeant Tonkin said police were speaking with those on board the jet that successfully flew back to its hangar at Essendon Airport.
Police are also investigating whether the two jets seen flying over the bay collided with one another.
Anyone who witnessed the planes in the air on Sunday should call triple-0.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said it would take authorities six to eight weeks to hand down a preliminary report, before a final report is released months later.
“We will go into great detail around maintenance records, pilot qualifications and past ‘sorties’ that have been conducted,” he told 3AW Mornings on Monday.
“It’s not only detailing what’s occurred but it’s all the things that potentially failed … whether it’s mechanical or potentially human.”
Mr Mitchell said the ex-Singapore Air Force jet trainers can reach top speeds of 760km/h.
“We believe it was a promotional shoot … and they were in a formation as such, so they were in close proximity to each other and that’s when something has clearly gone wrong,” he said.
“The exact speed at impact is something that hopefully we will get from the aircraft performance measuring system, from the actual aircraft itself.
“There will be two families who will be grieving a loss at a festive time of the year, so it’s just a tragic outcome.”
Plane crash victims feared dead
The second person feared dead after a fighter jet plunged into the water near Mt Martha has been identified as pilot Stephen Gale.
Mr Gale is the owner of aviation company Jetworks Aviation, which owns the two Viper S-211 Marchetti jet planes that were captured on video flying above Port Phillip Bay on Sunday afternoon before the mid-air collision.
Mr Gale and his partner Victoria Lowen have a young child who is about 18 months old.
Ms Lowen is a highly regarded former Qantas Pilot who worked alongside Mr Gale as an instructor to the student pilots at Jetworks Aviation.
The pair can be seen posing alongside one another in pictures snapped during several getaways and in flight gear at various air strips.
Ms Lowen is a Boeing 737 pilot who oversees the instruction and qualification of more junior pilots.
Mr Gale was flying the plane carrying passenger James Rose, 30, a well-known TV cameraman who has worked for several major outlets such as Channel 9, Channel 7 including on popular show MasterChef.
Originally a Royal Australian Air Force engineer, Mr Gale has flown jets at several display shows, and most recently flew the same plane believed to be involved in Sunday’s tragedy at the Pacific Airshow on the Gold Coast in August.
Mr Gale reportedly earned the nickname “Prof” after he joined the RAAF.
Jetworks Aviation was created specifically for the production of the television documentary, Any Fool Can Fly, which teaches high-profile figures how to fly.
So-called “student pilots” include comedian and presenter Tommy Little and doctors Jillian Kenny and Nu Dastaran.
A website for the show, for which filming is under way, describes Mr Gale as a PhD candidate and passionate engineer who also owns his own engineering company.
“Later in his life he learnt to fly, and has pursued an aviation career with plenty of zeal,” it said.
“As part of this TV series (and as the series creator) Stephen is fulfilling his dream of teaching his friends Jillian, Nu and Tommy to fly.”
Mr Gale was snapped with Mr Little in 2021 in a post about the upcoming show.
Mr Gale has been remembered as a passionate and skilled pilot whose death has left many people shocked.
Astrophysicist Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, who went flying with Mr Gale on several occasions, said Sunday’s incident was “tragic”.
She said Steve was always happy to teach others how to fly.
“Steve was incredibly generous in taking me flying several times. We spent a memorable afternoon in his two jets doing aerobatic manoeuvres, including 360-degree loops,” she said in a social media post.
“Later, during my national book tour, our commercial flight between Melbourne and Canberra had been cancelled so Steve picked us up and we flew there in his small propellor plane,” she wrote.
“His passion for formation flying was abundantly clear and he was keen to teach others (including myself). Thank you, Steve, for these special memories.
“To his family and friends – and to the loved ones of James Rose, I send my deepest condolences.”
State Liberal Mornington MP Chris Crewther also paid tribute to the pair as police continued their search on Monday afternoon.
“My heart goes out to those involved in the plane crash off Mount Martha yesterday,” he wrote.
“The community and I were shocked to hear about the mid-air collision of two Viper S-211 Marchetti jet planes.
“Thanking all emergency services personnel, coastguard and agencies currently involved in the search, with family members also gathering at Mount Martha Life Saving Club for a massive search and rescue mission.”
The Herald Sun previously reported Mr Rose was in the cockpit of the plane, filming for a new TV show when disaster struck.
Distraught family members, including father David Rose gathered at Mount Martha Life Saving Club as a massive search and rescue mission for the plane continued about 11km offshore.
“We’re so proud of him,” Dave Rose said.
“He is recognised as one of the best drone operators in Australia and worked on all the big name TV shows.
“That’s why he was up there, in the plane today.”
Mr Rose said water police had assured him the search would continue overnight.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to cope with staying all night. It’s all so surreal,” he said.
Two ex-military jet planes, both carrying two people, collided 12km off the coast of Mornington after losing control about 1.40pm on Sunday.
One plunged 20m deep into the water, while the other made its way back to base at Essendon Airport.
A massive search and rescue operation was under way on Sunday night for the pair on board the downed plane.
Wreckage from the jet, including a plane tyre and what appeared to be part of a wing, was found in the bay.
It is understood the Viper S-211 Marchetti jet planes were operated by Jetworks Aviator, which offers passengers 45-minute joy rides.
The pilot of the jet that survived the mid-air collision raised the alarm immediately after impact, radioing: “Viper 1 … mayday, mayday, mayday”.
A voice on the other end of the radio responds: “Viper 1, roger your mayday. You anticipate Viper 1 in the water?”
“I am anticipating Viper 2 in the water … we can see a splash mark,” the pilot responded.
A witness who lives near Essendon Airport told the Herald Sun she initially thought the planes were part of the roulettes when she saw them take off on Sunday afternoon.
“But then I realised there were only two planes,” she said. “I’m no aviation expert but I see aircraft take off from Essendon all the time.
“The way these two were flying looked different.
“They came very close to a helicopter that was hovering over the city. It gave me a real start.”
Jetworks Aviation offers joy flights involving aerobatic manoeuvres over the Melbourne skyline with “only one wing span separating the aircraft”.
The 45-minute “sortie” – a quick attack by a military force – costs $7750 and offers passengers “unforgettable experiences that you will not experience anywhere else outside of the military”, according to its website.
In an online description of the experience, the company states: “After you both kit up and take the obligatory photos (while you looking fresh faced), you will experience your combat leaders brief to prepare for the upcoming sortie.
“You and your wingman will simultaneously depart Essendon Airport as a close formation pair. The two jet aircraft will surprise the ground-based observers as they pass the Melbourne skyline with only one wing span separating the aircraft. We’ll show you a proper selfie!” the website reads.
“The two aircraft will perform some air show style formation aerobatic manoeuvres before separating into the dynamic combat formation. After crisscrossing over the bay in a modern dogfight, the two aircraft will return in formation passing close to Melbourne’s beautiful skyline.”
The mid-air crash will be investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Victoria Police.
“The two-seat, civilian-operated ex-military jet trainer aircraft were reported to be conducting a formation flight over the bay,” an ATSB statement read.
“After the collision one of the aircraft is reported to have lost control and subsequently impacted the water, while the second recovered to Essendon Airport.”
ATSB transport safety investigators will gather evidence from interviews, recorded data, aircraft maintenance logs, pilot information and documentation.
It anticipates releasing a preliminary report into the cause early next year.
Police tape was seen outside the Jetworks Aviation hangar at Essendon Fields on Sunday.
Officers believe the aircraft would have been visible from Mt Martha between 1pm and 2pm. Anyone who witnessed or has footage of the jets before or during the collision is asked to contact the ATSB.
At least four helicopters, including police air wing and the air ambulance, searched the water for the downed jet.
A number of water vessels, including Coast Guard and jet skis also scoured the scene.
Jetworks Aviation was contacted for comment.
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