By Kristie Sullivan
Two people killed in a light plane crash at Mount Beauty Airport in Victoria’s northeast had intended to distribute the ashes of a loved one over the picturesque High Country.
Pilot Greig Wanless, 67, and passenger Kate Callingham, 39, were killed when the plane they were travelling in nosedived on Saturday afternoon.
Wanless was a volunteer at the Plenty CFA and a former student and staff member at Ivanhoe Grammar School.
Police at Mount Beauty airport on Saturday.Credit: Nine News
“Greig was such a wonderful and important member of our school community,” the school’s development manager Geoff Brown said on Sunday.
Greig Wanless, who died in the light plant crash on Saturday at Mt Beauty
“He was a popular student from the class of ’74 and then a long-standing, respected staff member. He always had time for people, was extremely positive”.
Gliding Australia CEO Doug Flockhart also paid tribute to Wanless.
“The pilot was experienced and known for his love of soaring and the camaraderie within the club,” he said.
“The aircraft, constructed in 1983, has been maintained and certified in Australia since 1991.
“At this time our thoughts are primarily with the families and friends of those lost, as well as with the entire soaring community in Mount Beauty and Victoria.”
Callingham was also remembered by her family and friends as a “beloved partner, mother, daughter and friend”.
Kate Callingham was killed in a light plane crash at Mount Beauty airport on Saturday.
Victoria Police said the pair were flying over Embankment Drive when the aircraft crashed about 1.45pm and died at the scene. “A report will be prepared for the coroner,” the police said.
On Sunday, a technical expert from Gliding Australia attended the scene to examine the wreckage. Mount Beauty airport will reopen today.
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