Vic crash planes in air less than an hour
Two training flights that crashed mid-air in Victoria, killing four people, were flying for less than 30 minutes before crashing, according to a preliminary report.
The planes, a Piper Seminole and Beech Travel Air, hit mid-air near Mangalore Airport, about 90 minutes from Melbourne, in February.
The Beech Travel Air departed Tyabb airport on the Mornington Peninsula at 10.55am, while the Seminole left Mangalore for a round trip at 11.11am on February 19.
The planes collided near Mangalore about 11.24am at an altitude of about 4100 ft, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's preliminary report released on Thursday.
After the collision the Seminole travelled for about half a kilometre to the east before crashing into an open field, while the Travel Air hit a lightly wooded area 1.4 kilometres from the collision point.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Greg Hood said no official findings had been released yet and several avenues were being investigated.
"Examination of the recovered radios, weather conditions at the time of the accident, as well as recorded area frequency calls and recollections of radio broadcasts will be a focus as the investigation moves forward," Mr Hood said.
The crash killed two pilots and two trainees, Chris Gobel, 79, died alongside a 27-year-old Melbourne West woman, and Ido Segev, 30, and Peter Phillips, 47 died in the plane flying from Tyabb.
