THE moment an ultralight plane crashed in Yarrawonga, killing two men, may have been captured by multiple video cameras.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Investigators will sift through footage in a bid to determine how Mt Evelyn man Ian Cook’s trike slammed into the ground on Sunday.
Mr Cook, 60, and his rear passenger, Vietnamese man Quoc Huong Vu, 44, were both killed on impact.
Mr Vu was on the Border to work on the Vietnamese version of The Amazing Race and police believe he may have been filming at the time of the crash.
Initial investigations by Recreational Aviation Australia suggest atmospheric conditions may have caused the crash.
The impact damaged an onboard video camera and investigators will try to recover the footage.
Acting Inspector Kevin Coughlan said a person filming from the ground may have also caught the accident.
Yarrawonga Aerodrome manager Peter McLean was friends with Mr Cook and trained him in the crashed aircraft.
He spoke to the pilot before the crash and was one of the first people on the scene.
“I knew the pilot, he comes up every couple of weeks,” Mr McLean said.
“He’s a very experienced pilot, a very good pilot, which was what made me really surprised when I heard about the crash.”
Several people reported dust devils – long and sustained whirlwinds – on Sunday.
Mr McLean said he wasn't sure what had caused the crash.
“You lose anybody, it's always tough,” he said. “It's a tragedy.
"But as I say, it's just one of those things unfortunately.”
Mr McLean believes the pilot had been flying for 15 to 20 minutes before the crash, which occurred about 500 metres from the runway.
Several people were in the area at the time of the crash.
There appeared to be nothing wrong with the Airborne XT-912 Arrow trike aircraft.
Mr McLean said the trikes were “the safest aircraft in the world” but the most dangerous time was during landing.
The design of the aircraft meant it had to be flown at high speeds to avoid crashing.
Acting Inspector Coughlan said initial enquiries suggested atmospheric issues had caused the crash.
“I have no doubt (family members) were not expecting anything like this to happen,” he said.
“It’s the long weekend. Everyone’s out to enjoy (themselves).
“There’s always a risk in the back of people’s minds that things can go wrong.”
A report is being prepared for the coroner.
