Wreckage has been found after a former military jet crashed into Port Phillip Bay near Mount Martha on Sunday afternoon with a pilot and cameraman on board.
A large part of the body of the plane was located off the shore of Mornington, Victoria Police said in a statement on Tuesday morning.
“Police are working to remove the fuselage of the plane from the water, at which time it will be searched,” the statement said.
Stephen Gale, a pilot, engineer, inventor and aspiring filmmaker, and James Rose, a talented cameraman and drone operator, are feared dead after two light S-211 Marchetti planes collided midair about 12 kilometres west of Mount Martha, in Melbourne’s south-east.
Gale, a 56-year-old from Brunswick, and Rose, a 30-year-old from Surrey Hills, were filming for a documentary series that planned to teach people with no experience how to fly.
The other plane involved in the midair collision landed safely at Essendon airport. Police said they had interviewed the pilot of that plane.
Cameraman James Rose and pilot Stephen Gale are feared dead after their plane crashed into Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) will examine the aviation company’s regulation compliance and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will investigate the crash.
Ex-military planes are not required to meet typical civil aviation standards or fly with the same degree of safety as other aircraft.
Some crash debris had earlier been spotted floating on the water where emergency service workers have been conducting an extensive search since the weekend.
Victoria Police Inspector Terry Rowlands said on Monday the search was a recovery mission that was using sonar equipment to scan the seafloor near the crash site.
Search crews in Port Phillip Bay on Tuesday morning after police announced plane wreckage had been found.Credit: Nine News
“It’s unbelievably tragic for the families and all involved,” he said.
Gale, who had served in the RAAF and was the owner of the two jets, was the brains behind the proposed documentary series called Jet School.
Originally titled Any Fool Can Fly, the proposed five-part series had been in development for about five years, but did not yet have the backing of a broadcaster or major production company.
Novice pilots involved in the series included engineer Dr Jillian Kennedy, maxillofacial surgeon Dr Nu Dastaran and comedian and The Project panellist Tommy Little. English actor and adventurer Charley Boorman was a late addition to the project.
Gale established his company Jetworks Aviation, which offered 25-minute joyrides for $2750, specifically to create the show.
The S-211 Marchetti that Gale flew is an Italian-made fighter plane now primarily used for air force training. The jet is a regular sight in local skies – taking people on training, sorties, aerobatic flights and sightseeing tours.
CASA said it licensed pilots but the Australian Warbirds Association regulated adventure flight aircraft.
The CASA website states those flying on the “limited category aircraft” must sign a pre-flight form accepting risks such as that the airworthiness of a plane “does not need to meet any standard we recognise”.
The ex-military and historic aircraft must carry a placard which reads: “Persons fly in this aircraft at their own risk. This aircraft has been designed for special operations and is not operated to the same safety standards as a normal commercial passenger flight.”
Jetworks Aviation’s website advises that their Marchetti jets were formerly owned by the Singapore Air Force and as such are ex-military and “are not required to meet any safety standard recognised by CASA”.
A spokesperson for CASA said: “The information on our website is accurate and the rules under which Jetworks Aviation was operating will form part of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s investigation.”
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (ASMA) is also investigating the incident over Port Phillip Bay, which sparked a mayday call about 1.45pm on Sunday.
The other S211 jet in its hanger, behind police tape, in Essendon on Sunday afternoon.Credit: Nine News
Sunday’s crash was the fourth midair collision in Australia in just over a year.
Last November, two men were killed when a glider and light aircraft collided near Gympie in Queensland. In January, four people died when two Sea World helicopters crashed on the Gold Coast. In July, two died after two light planes collided over an airfield at Caboolture.
Police are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the Port Phillip Bay incident, or anyone with vision of the planes. They believe they would have been visible from Mount Martha between 1pm and 2pm on Sunday.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, with footage, or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto www.crimestoppers.com.au.
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