NSW: Plane collision survivors to help investigators
19 Dec 2008 11:40 AM
SYDNEY, Dec 19 AAP - The survivors of a fatal mid-air collision over Sydney's south-west may be taken to the crash site to help investigators piece together what went wrong.
Pilot instructor Joanne Ethell and her young student Chandrika Gaur were killed on Thursday when their light plane slammed into the back of a Sydney house after a collision with another plane on a training flight.
The Basair Aviation College instructor and her student, believed to be aged 21 and 18, respectively, were in a Cessna 152 flying over Casula when the collision occurred about 11.30am (AEDT).
The second plane, a single engine Liberty with 89-year-old instructor Ken Andrews - believed to be a former World WII pilot - and his 25-year-old male student on board, sent out a mayday call before flying the 10km to Bankstown Airport.
Police said it was "a miracle" the Liberty was able to make a safe emergency landing.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), whose investigators are at the site crash, say the survivors' accounts will be invaluable to the investigation.
"We have two surviving pilots who will be very crucial to (helping to investigate) the circumstances leading up to this occurrence," Senior Transport Safety Investigator Brett Leyshon told reporters at the crash site on Friday.
"Normally we don't have survivors (of mid-air collisions).
"They are the closest witnesses we have to the occurrence, so it's going to be very important when we talk to them - we'll be spending considerable time taking them back through the events.
"... We may bring them out here."
Mr Leyshon said the crash site was still being made safe before proper investigations began. He estimated the wreckage would be removed by Saturday lunch time.
A preliminary report into the collision would be completed in about a month, but a final report might take up to a year, he said.
The area in which the crash took place is uncontrolled airspace where pilots adopt "see and avoid" techniques.
"You look out of the aircraft, you don't fly around with your head inside the cockpit watching instruments all the time," he said.
"It's a commonsense thing called airmanship - that if you're unsure of what another aircraft is doing and you know it's in the vicinity, why not ask it on the radio?"
He said it was too early to tell whether there was a safety issue in relation to the uncontrolled airspace near Bankstown Airport where the accident happened.
"Until we know the circumstances surrounding this occurrence and then have a look at any other data that we may have, it's too early to bring any concerns to anyone's attention," he said.
"But once we do identify a safety issue it will be brought to the attention of the appropriate authorities."
