A Qantas pilot has been named as one of three victims to have been killed in a mid-air plane crash between two light aircraft near Sydney in Australia.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), a Jabiru and Cessna 182 were involved in a mid-air collision on October 26, 2024, in which there were no survivors.
In a report by 9News Australia, it said an off-duty Qantas pilot named Gary Criddle, 72, was instructing a second individual in the Cessna 182 when the light planes collided over Belimbla Park, in the Macarthur region.
Unconfirmed reports have said that the aircraft collided after the Jabiru took off from an airfield in the area.
In a statement following his colleague’s death, Qantas Chief Pilot Richard Tobiano said he was “deeply upset”.
“Captain Gary Criddle was a highly respected and loved member of the Qantas flying community,” Tobiano said.
Criddle had flown for Qantas for 36 years and previously served in the Australian Navy and Airforce for 20 years.
ATSB said a team of transport safety investigators from its Canberra office were being deployed to the accident sites of both aircraft to begin evidence-collecting activities.
“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.
The bureau added: “The ATSB will release a preliminary report detailing factual information established in the investigation’s evidence-gathering phase in about two months. A final report will be released at the conclusion of the investigation and will detail analysis and findings.”
Witnesses and those who have video evidence of the incident have been asked to contact the ATSB.
“If at any point during the investigation we uncover any critical safety issues we will immediately inform relevant parties so they can take safety actions,” the ATSB statement concluded.