Couple dead after two planes crash in mid-air 'just moments after take-off'

28 July 2023 , 08:49

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The pilot of the second plane survived the crash "relatively uninjured" (Image: Nine)

A couple has died after two planes crashed mid-air in a horrifying incident over an airfield.

Commercial pilot David Maddern and his wife Jan's amateur aircraft collided with another jet moments after takeoff in Brisbane, Australia. Debris from the wreckage was seen strewn across the airfield as emergency services scrambled to the scene. Incredibly, the pilot of the second jet escaped without serious injury.

It's understood the Maddern's plane was taking off as the second aircraft came into land on a separate runway at Caboolture airfield around 10:30am on Friday. Witnesses are being urged to contact the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) as officials examine the crash. Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan described the tragedy, as "so sad on so many levels" while Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Matthew Davis described the scene as "incredibly confronting".

Rescuers scrambled to the wreckage (Nine)

The Madden's plane registration states it was an "amateur-built aircraft", while the second aircraft involved was a Piper PA-25 Pawnee, which is generally used for agricultural spraying. The unnamed second pilot's aircraft has damage to the left wing.

Queensland Police Acting Superintendent Paul Ready said the glider could have been on a joy flight over the Glass House Mountains. He told the Courier-Mail: "I’m not able to speculate on exactly where they were positioned when they collided but I believe that it was in the process of landing and/or taking off. It’s devastating that we’ve had a loss of life." He also praised officers who were on the scene within minutes of receiving emergency calls.

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Ready continued: "It is at the other end of the runway, which is further from the Bruce Highway, but there will be people who may have seen at least some of the aircraft and then movements prior to their collision."

Investigators from the ATSB say it will take at least six weeks before the release of a preliminary report. Caboolture Airfield caters to general aviation and ultralight aircraft and is not controlled by Airservices Australia. The Caboolture Aero Club said its members were "deeply saddened" by the loss.

One of the planes involved in the collision was registered to the Caboolture Gliding Club and the Piper PA-25 Pawnee was left on the runaway, as forensics examined the scene. Ready said the pilot was assisting police with investigators to try and piece together what exactly occurred and said the investigation was still "in its infancy."

ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said: "Investigators will begin gathering evidence by mapping the accident site examining the aircraft wreckage, interviewing the surviving pilot and witnesses and collecting relevant recorded information such as CCTV and flight-tracking data."

Rachel Hagan