NSW: Elderly flight instructor tested within past 6 months: CASA
18 Dec 2008 5:37 PM
Australia's aviation safety regulator says an 89-year-old flight instructor involved in a mid-air collision which killed two women would have been subjected to testing every six months.
Two small planes from separate training schools collided in mid-air .. sending one into a spin before it smashed into a house Casula .. in Sydney's south-west .. this morning.
Police say the women died in their Cessna 152 .. while the other plane made an emergency landing at Bankstown Airport.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority says pilots are subjected to more rigorous testing once they turn 65.
CASA spokesman PETER GIBSON says the 89-year-old would have undergone a medical test and flying proficiency test every six months to retain his commercial licence.
He says it's a fairly rigorous scheme.
