Pilot Killed as Light Aircraft Crashes in Australian Backyard

[Cargo Runner]

A pilot was killed when a light aircraft crashed into the backyard of a house near Melbourne following a mid-air collision with another plane, Australian police said. The other light plane landed safely.

The incident took place near Melbourne's Moorabbin airport at about 12:45 p.m. local time today (Wednesday), Inspector Phil Shepherd of Victoria Police said by telephone.

``One of the planes was able with some difficulty to return and land,'' he said. ``The other plane crash landed in the backyard of a residential house.''

No other injuries were immediately reported, police said.

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A TRAINEE pilot on his first solo flight was killed when his plane clipped another aircraft and plunged into a suburban street today.

Police expressed relief that there was not a greater loss of life after the plane crashed in a fireball close to a school.

They have named the pilot as Akash Ananth, 24, an Indian national, from Clayton.

The Cessna 150 crashed into a carport in Cheltenham after a mid-air collision with another aircraft just before 1pm.

Ananth died at the scene but there were no reports of injuries on the ground.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...70-661,00.html

[MCM]

Very sad.

Both aircraft are from the Royal Victorian Aero Club.

One of those unfortunate accidents; just another sad reminder that aviation is an inherantly dangerous activity.

Its definately time to reconsider all of Australia's training facilities and their locations. Moorabbin Airport was once surrounded by farms and acres of land... that land was recently sold off to build factories and a large shopping centre, and suburbs have built up around it. Maybe its time to think about basing large flying schools further out into the areas of less dense population.

My condolenses to those involved. It will be hard days ahead for the family, and those who knew the student.