Married couple killed after two light aircraft collide at Caboolture Airfield

A husband and wife killed in a tragic incident, involving two light aircraft which collided north of Brisbane, have been named.

A husband and wife in their sixties have been identified as the two people who died in a tragic incident in Queensland when two light aircraft collided above Caboolture Airfield, north of Brisbane, on Friday.

A mid air collision occurred as one plane was taking off from the aerodrome and the other was landing.

The pilot of the Jabiru J430 aircraft has been identified as David Maddern. The plane was also carrying his wife Jan. Both died due to the incident.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the accident.

“It was reported that the collision occurred shortly after 10.30am local time, when a Jabiru J430 was taking off from one runway while a Piper Pawnee was landing on a crossing runway,” the ATSB said.

Two people have died after two planes flying near Caboolture Airport collided, both deceased passengers came from the one plane. Picture David Clark

“Tragically, both occupants of the Jabiru were fatally injured. The Pawnee pilot was uninjured.”

Investigators from the ATSB’s Brisbane office arrived on site on Friday afternoon, while additional investigators from Canberra will be on-site on Saturday.

Acting Assistant District Officer for the Moreton District Paul Ready said the pilot was “assisting police with investigators to try and piece together what exactly occurred”.

Queensland Ambulance sent five ambulances to the scene in response to what it described as a “significant incident”.

David Maddern (pictured) and his wife Jan were killed in the collision.

Helicopter footage from 9 News showed multiple emergency personnel tending to the wreckage of one of the aircraft.

Mr Ready said the investigation was still “at its infancy”.

The ATSB has asked anyone who witnessed the accident, or may have video footage of either aircraft at any phase of their flights, to contact them via the witness form on its website: atsb.gov.au/witness.

One of the two planes involved with the crash. Picture: David Clark.

Investigators will begin gathering evidence by mapping the accident site, examining the aircraft wreckage, interviewing the surviving pilot and witnesses, and collecting relevant recorded information such as any CCTV footage and flight tracking data.

Helicopter footage from the airfield showed a heavy presence of emergency personnel. Picture: 9 News

The Caboolture Airport will remain closed, while investigations are ongoing.

The ATSB is expected to produce a preliminary report, detailing factual information, in six to eight weeks.

The ATSB will publish a final report, detailing contributing factors and any identified safety issues, at the conclusion of the investigation.

However, should any critical safety issues be identified at any stage during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate safety action can be taken.