Footage has shown the terrifying moment two military-style jets collided when their stunt in Melbourne, Australia went wrong.
The two Viper S-211 Marchetti light aircraft took off from Essendon Fields Airport at about 1:24pm on November 19 last year to film aerial stunts — or “aerobatics” — over Port Phillip Bay.
Viper 1 is the lead aircraft carrying the pilot and safety pilot, while Viper 2 has pilot Stephen Gale, 56, and camera operator James Rose, 30, on board.
Gale and Rose won’t last.
Footage has shown the terrifying moment two military-style jets collided when their stunt in Melbourne went wrong.
Neither plane is equipped with flight data recorders or cockpit voice recorders, nor are they required — but four cameras are installed on the Viper 1, three of which also record audio, helping investigators determine exactly what happened when the action happened.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on Tuesday released a preliminary report on the crash, including a replay and still images from footage taken by the surviving jet.
Before takeoff, the pilots talked about the stunts they were going to do, including one that involved Viper 1 flying upside down while Viper 2 flew right next to it, filming.
The two Viper S-211 Marchetti light aircraft took off from Essendon Fields Airport on November 19 last year to film the aircraft in Port Phillip Bay.
They attempted an aerial stunt and Gale passed under Viper 1 which, according to the ATSB, was unplanned.
He radioed and asked to fly under Viper 1 again, saying it was a “better filming opportunity.”
On their second attempt, disaster struck.
Gale passed under Viper 1 again but, as he did so, the wings of the two aircraft collided.
The pilot attempted a stunt in the air and Gale passed under Viper 1 which, according to the ATSB, was not planned.
His plane, the Viper 2, rocketed into the air and flipped over, before moving into a “near-vertical flight path, nose down toward the water.”
It rolled back and hit the water at high speed.
Both Gale and Rose died in the crash.
Viper 2 had pilot Stephen Gale pass under Viper 1 again but, as he did so, the wings of the two aircraft collided.
Their plane was later found on the seabed of Port Phillip Bay, in pieces.
Both pilots in Viper 1 said they felt the collision but did not see it.
Their plane was still under control and they tried to contact Gale, but there was no response.
Gale and the camera operator, James Rose, died in the crash.
Seeing the splash on the water and debris, they made a mayday call.
The surviving pilot landed safely at Essendon Fields at 1:49pm.
Images of their jet’s damaged wing show streaks of scratched paint and a clear dent from where it hit.
Gale, a highly experienced flyer, owns Jetworks Aviation, an Essendon Fields-based business created for a TV documentary called Any Fool Can Fly.
The surviving pilot landed safely at Essendon Fields.
He also holds endorsements in aerobatic and rotary flight activities.
Rose is a talented drone operator who has worked on high-profile TV shows, including for the Nine Network, Seven Network, and production company EndemolShine, which produces MasterChef.
A final report on the crash will be issued at the end of the ATSB’s investigation.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
