Tony Scopelliti has been identified as the passenger who was killed in the light plane crash on the Gold Coast on Tuesday morning.
The beloved grandfather, was flying alongside his long-time friend and pilot 73-year-old Greg Ackmann, when the plane crashed and sparked a fire shortly after takeoff around 6am on Tuesday morning.
Scopelliti’s family have revealed that was a well-respected pilot with over 40 years of experience and a flying instructor.
The Sydney grandfather is being remembered as a family man, a clever mathematician and aviator with a sense of humour and compassion for many others who saw him as a father figure.
His children shared that flying was his life and he was “always there to help his friends”.
“Every person he knew will feel his loss deeply,” they told 9News.
Gold Coast Police District Superintendent Brett Jackson confirmed the two friends intended to travel to a small town just outside of Tamworth. The crash happened at a private airstrip where aircraft owners could rent hangars and take private flights.
The crash caused a large grassfire, which was brought under control on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) revealed the plane was an experimental class aircraft that had previously crashed due to engine failure in 2010.
The ATSB is reviewing evidence and preparing a preliminary report into the crash.
Image: 9News
