UPDATE: The pilot killed in a light plane crash in Victoria’s northeast was a retired firefighter.
The former CFA employee had hired the Cessna 182 from Kestrel Aviation in Mangalore, about two hours north of Melbourne. He flew to NSW and departed Moruya airport on the far south coast of NSW at 8.15am on Wednesday. He was due back at Mangalore about 11am but never arrived sparking a search for the single-engine plane.
Police are yet to name the pilot but have notified the family of his death.
The wreckage was discovered about 20km west of Mt Hotham on Thursday just after 8.30am. The pilot was the only person on board.
Kestrel Aviation managing director Ray Conin said the man was an experienced and competent pilot who regularly hired aircraft from the company.
He said he was a well-respected member of his community whose death would be felt keenly.
“It’s a great loss to his family and to his community. A great loss to everybody,” Mr Cronin said.
Mr Cronin said according to the weather forecast, strong winds would have made the journey a bumpy flight but that cloud coverage had not been significant. He was unable to speculate on the cause of the accident and said the man had hired the plane for a private flight.
“It is one out of the bag but that’s what accidents are,” he said.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokesman Sam Cardwell said the plane was located by a search helicopter in rugged countryside. A rescuer was winched down to the wreckage and the pilot found.
Eight helicopters and two fixed wing planes were involved in the search.
The AMSA has referred the accident to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to investigate.
