Survivor's account, radio calls key in Caboolture plane crash ...
The surviving pilot's account, radio communications and flight paths will be at the centre of an investigation into a mid-air collision north of Brisbane.
Two people died at Caboolture Airfield on Friday morning after the plane they were taking off in collided with an aircraft coming in to land on the crossing runway, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said.
The man and woman, who were in a Jabiru J430, died at the scene.
The male pilot of the second plane — a Piper Pawnee — was uninjured.
The Caboolture Airfield airspace is not controlled, so pilots are responsible for making sure they keep a safe distance from one another through sight and radio broadcasts.
Piper PawneeThe wing of the Piper Pawnee sustained damage in the crash.
ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said the bureau would "rely heavily" on the interview with the surviving pilot, footage, radio calls and witness accounts to understand what caused the crash.
"Exactly what radio calls may have been made or what sort of separation was in place is yet to be determined," he said.
"We will be relying very heavily, not only on an interview with the surviving pilot, but any CCTV footage that we may be able to get from the actual aerodrome itself, and any witness statements to get a much better appreciation of where those two aircraft were and what happened in that immediate sequence leading up to the collision.
"Examining the wreckage of the two aircraft is something that we do as a matter of course, but that will take us some time to see what recording devices were on board, what was the material state of both those aircraft.
"And once we get a better picture of that, then we can start looking at what may have been contributing factors to this tragic outcome."
Cross runways 'add degree of caution'Aviation safety and law expert Ron Bartsch said it was unwise to speculate so early in an investigation, but weather conditions at the time made it unlikely that visibility was an issue.
"Obviously, the simultaneous use of cross runways do add an extra degree of caution and alertness that needs to be observed by pilots," he said.
"Radio communication between pilots can also really assist. Caboolture Airfield is an uncontrolled airport and as such relies upon pilots maintaining their own visual separation from other aircraft.
"It is quite an active and busy airport catering to general aviation and ultralight aircraft and recreational and flight training users and is a popular facility for the servicing and restoration of vintage aircraft."
Emergency services were called to the grassy airstrip north of Brisbane after the plane crash.
'Nothing should run into anything'Air transport analyst Neil Hansford said the crash appeared to involve a breakdown in air traffic procedures.
"The procedures are there so that nothing should run into anything," he said.
"The procedures at the airport in relation to the uncontrolled airspace would be the focus [of the investigation] and the operation of the cross runway in uncontrolled airspace."
The collision at Caboolture Airfield killed two occupants inside one of the planes.
Mr Mitchell said ATSB will look at the airfield's procedures, and whether they were followed, and if there was a contributing factor from either aircraft.
"At this stage we just want to understand what occurred, what was known by the pilots, and particularly that surviving pilot will give us a much better insight, but equally those who may have been in the air at the time or on the ground," he said.
He said this will inform where the ATSB makes any safety recommendations.
The ATSB asked that any witnesses contact the bureau.
In a statement on Friday, the Caboolture Aero Club said they would "cooperate with all relevant investigations", and "extend their deepest sympathies to the family".
