Police have confirmed human remains have been found in Port Phillip Bay following a horrific mid-air collision between two jets.
The grim discovery follows the wreckage of one of the planes earlier this week, which crashed into the waters of the enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria on Sunday.
Jet owner and pilot Stephen Gale, 56 and cameraman, 30-year-old James Rose, were reported missing when their light plane collided in mid air with another jet of the same make and plummeted into the water.
Victoria Police said the bodies were believed to be the missing occupants of the plane.
“Water Police, Air Wing and Uniform officers have carried out extensive searches across Port Phillip Bay as part of a complex operation since the crash on Sunday afternoon,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
“Investigators are working to establish the exact circumstances of the incident and investigations remain ongoing.
“They believe the aircrafts would have been visible from Mount Martha between 1pm and 2pm on Sunday.”
The second aircraft in the collision managed to limp back to Essendon Airport after sending a mayday call alerting authorities of the tragic accident.
Mr Gale and Mr Rose were filming footage for an upcoming TV series at the time of the accident which was going to document people, including celebrities, learning to fly who had no previous experience.
Mr Gale was the owner of both the jets and the mastermind of the upcoming series, which was to be titled Jet School.
One of the series most notable celebrity students, comedian and The Project panellist Tommy Little paid tribute to Mr Gale.
“This week I lost one of my closest mates, my mentor and my sidekick in the sky,” he wrote on Instagram.
“To put it bluntly Stephen Gale is the most intelligent man I’ve ever met in my life and our relationship was the perfect example of when opposites attract.”
Mr Rose, who had previously worked on hit shows including Master Chef, was remembered as a great family member and work mate, with his father describing the loss as “truly devastating”.
“I know that his story will soon pass and become old news like so many other stories, but I would like the world to know what a wonderful young man he was,” he said.
That investigation into the tragic accident is expected to take several months according to Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell.
“We will go into great detail around maintenance records, pilot qualifications and past ‘sorties’ that have been conducted,” he told 3AW earlier this week.
“It’s not only detailing what’s occurred but it’s all the things that potentially failed … whether it’s mechanical or potentially human.”
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Police are still keen to talk to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who has vision of the planes.
The aircraft would have been visible from Mount Martha between 1pm and 2pm on Sunday.
jordan.mccarthy@news.com.au | @JordoMc85
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2023-11-22 20:42:10Z
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