iscover
Two flight instructors were killed when their light plane crashed off the NSW Mid North Coast over the weekend.
The bodies of 67-year-old Mark White, chief flying instructor at Midcoast Microlights, and 69-year-old Simon Peutrill have been recovered after their Sting S4, registered 23-1677 (similar aircraft pictured), plunged into the ocean near Scotts Head in the Coffs Harbour area on Saturday afternoon.
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The plane had left Coffs Harbour bound for South West Rocks at around 3:30pm, with one witness telling media that it flew low overhead and seemed to be struggling for power.
“About 4pm, emergency services responded to the coast line just south of Nambucca Heads after witness reports of a plane crashing into the ocean,” NSW Police Chief Inspector Stuart Campbell told media on Sunday.
“A search was co-ordinated with local police resources as well as surf rescue, and water police from Coffs Harbour.
“That search located wreckage of a light aircraft unfortunately in that wreckage were the bodies of two deceased persons.”
The local aviation community has paid tribute to the two men, with Don Townsend, vice president of Coffs Harbour Aero Club, saying both were experienced pilots.
“Mark had been with a pilot school for many years and has a lot of hours flying, Simon has quite a few hours as an instructor as well,” he told the ABC.
“Definitely fairly experienced, particularly Mark, he had a lot of hours in that aeroplane and Simon certainly had some, as he’d been instructing there previously.”
The ATSB has said it is not currently investigating the crash, as the aircraft was on the recreational register; however, Recreational Aviation Australia chair Michael Monck told the ABC that the transport safety watchdog would have the best tools to do so.
“The [ATSB] have laboratories where they can test components from the wreckage of an accident, and have expertise in recovering data from electronics that might be contained on the aircraft,” Monck said.
“They are the only body in Australia that is government-funded and has those skills and those capabilities. That’s why it is important to have them involved in these accident investigations.
“When we learn from aviation accidents, those learnings carry through to commercial and airline operations and that benefit of knowledge extends to the broader Australian public.”
