Pilot died when the ex-military aircraft they were travelling in while filming a documentary in November.
Cameraman James Rose (left) and pilot Stephen Gale (right) were filming for a documentary when the plane they were in crashed into Port Phillip Bay.Supplied
The pilot of a second plane had successfully performed an approved manoeuvre that involved flying inverted,straight and level so the plane being flown by Gale could move alongside while upright to maintain distance while filming,a preliminary report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found.
During the second attempt at this manoeuvre,the plane containing Gale and Rose passed below and to the left of the second jet when it had rolled while inverted.
Afterwards,Gale advised the other pilot that it had provided a good filming opportunity and asked him to repeat it,the transport bureau said. After the pilots discussed this manoeuvre,they decided to attempt it again.
Angus Mitchell,bureau chief commissioner,said after the jet piloted by Gale passed below the other jet,it began to pitch up and bank away.
“The right wings of each aircraft collided,” Mitchell said.
Video footage taken from cameras on board one of the planes showed that as the planes collided,the outer right-wing structure of the plane piloted by Gale immediately failed. The right aileron control system also appeared to be significantly damaged.
Witnesses saw Gale’s plane hit the water in a near-vertical,nose-down position at high speed. The aircraft was extensively damaged and came to rest on the floor of Port Phillip Bay at a depth of 24 metres.
The second plane landed safely at Essendon Airport shortly after the collision.
Police have recovered the wreckage of a plane crash that claimed the lives of two men in Victoria's Port Phillip Bay.
“Today’s preliminary report provides factual information from the early evidence-gathering phase of our no-blame transport safety investigation,” Mitchell said.
“It does not include any analysis or findings,which will be detailed in the final report we will release at the conclusion of the investigation.”
Gale,who had served in the RAAF as an electronics engineer and was the owner of the two jets,was the brains behind the pair were filming,calledJet School.
Novice pilots involved in the series included engineer Dr Jillian Kennedy,maxillofacial surgeon Dr Nu Dastaran andThe Project panellist Tommy Little.
Pilot Stephen Gale (left) pictured with comedian Tommy Little.Instagram
Gale was survived by his wife,who is also a pilot,and their baby.
Rose’s father,David,previously told this masthead that his son’s death had been “truly devastating” to his family and the entire TV industry.
“I know that his story will soon pass and become old news like so many other stories,but I would like the world to know what a wonderful young man he was,” he said.
Investigators expected cameras inside the planes filming for the documentary would help piece together the moments before the fatal midair collision.
A final report will be released after the bureau has finished its investigation.
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