Two long-time friends have been killed in a light plane crash on the Gold Coast on Tuesday.
Greg Ackman, 73, has been identified as the pilot on the single-engine light aircraft and was on board with his friend when they crashed into an airfield shortly after take-off near Gross Rd in Jacobs Well on Tuesday morning.
Gold Coast Police District Superintendent Brett Jackson said the crash was so severe that both men were “unable to survive”.
Ackman has since been remembered as a great advocate for general aviation, according to the Courier Mail. Former Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association chief executive Benjamin Morgan described him as a good friend and someone who “very much enjoyed a laugh … he enjoyed life … he enjoyed his aviation”.
The passenger is believed to be a man from Sydney, though police are waiting to confirm his next of kin have been notified before releasing further details.
“We’ve lost two great aviators today, great mates. Greg and his passenger were actually known to each other for many, many, many years, and had been lifelong friends,” Morgan said.
“He (Ackman) not only was actively involved in flying in aviation, he’d been actively involved in Aviation Heritage Preservation.
“He had been involved in donating a number of key aircraft to aviation museums and facilities around the country. He was someone who believed in general aviation and took part in aviation in every way that he could.”
Superintendent Brett Jackson said the crash happened at a private airstrip where aircraft owners could rent hangars and take private flights, with the intended destination a small town just outside of Tamworth.
“As to the intention behind the trip, I don’t actually have that information – that will form part of the investigation,” the superintendent said.
CCTV footage from the airstrip will form part of the ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash, which caused a large grassfire, with 18 emergency crews and about 50 personnel on site fighting the blaze.
Firefighters struggled to access the site due to very dense bushland and farm land, with string winds causing “flame heights in excess of five and six metres” according to Queensland Rural Fire Service (QRFS) Superintendent Joel Gordon.
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