Three people are dead in Australia after a mid-air collision between two small aircraft over Sydney Saturday morning. Photo by Dean Lewisn/EPA-EFE
Oct. 26 (UPI) — Three people are dead in Australia after a mid-air collision between two small aircraft over Sydney Saturday morning.
Emergency crews are still examining wreckage from the Cessna 182 and Australian-made Jabiru, south-west of Sydney on Saturday.
“Members of the public are urged to avoid Oakdale in Sydney’s southwest and surrounding areas,” the New South Wales Force said on X.
Investigators from the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau are at the crash scene and the agency will lead the investigation into what occurred.
The planes crashed into a neighborhood in Belimbla Park, a semi-rural area southwest of the Sydney suburb of Oakdale.
One of the two planes burst into flames after falling to the ground.
Police and emergency crews quickly located the three men who had been onboard the two light aircraft were all deceased at the scene.
“Over coming days, investigators will undertake site mapping, examine the wreckage of both aircraft, and recover any relevant components for further examination at the ATSB’s technical facilities in Canberra,” the ATSB said in a statement.
“Investigators will also seek to interview any witnesses and involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including any air traffic control and flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information.”
The agency is also seeking any witnesses and video accounts of the incident.
A preliminary report into the collision is expected in approximately two months.
A final report will eventually detail all analysis and findings.
Jabiru bills itself as one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of recreational aircraft, producing over 2,000 aircraft and 7,000 engines to date.
Production of the American-made Cessna 182 Skylane first began in 1956, with over 23,000 of the planes built to date. The aircraft can carry up to four people.