Mornington plane crash: Human remains discovered inside ex-fighter jet that crashed into Port Phillip Bay with a pilot and a Masterchef cameraman onboard
Human remains have been found among the wreckage of a former fighter plane that crashed into the water near Melbourne on Sunday.
Masterchef cameraman James Rose, 30, was filming footage for a new TV show in one of two Viper S-211 Marchetti fighter jets flying in tandem when the planes flew off the coast of the Mornington Peninsula at around 1.45pm collided.
Victoria Police confirmed the bodies discovered on the plane on Monday evening are believed to be those of two men reported missing.
“The missing occupants of the aircraft are believed to be a 56-year-old man from Brunswick and a 30-year-old man from Surrey Hills,” the statement said.
Pilot Stephen Gale, 56, and Mr Rose were reported missing after the ex-jet fighters collided about 12 kilometers west of Mount Martha, in Melbourne’s south-east.
One of the jets was miraculously able to fly back to Essendon Airport.
Pilot Stephen Gale, 56, and Mr Rose were reported missing after the ex-jet fighters collided about 12 kilometers west of Mount Martha, in Melbourne’s south-east.
Victoria Police have confirmed that the bodies discovered on the plane on Monday evening are believed to be those of two men reported missing (photo, search efforts earlier this week)
Police said the wreckage of the plane was located off the coast of the Mornington Peninsula on Monday evening following a major search operation.
“Investigators are working to determine the exact circumstances of the incident and the investigation is ongoing,” a police statement said.
“They believe the planes would have been visible from Mount Martha between 1 and 2 p.m. on Sunday.”
Police would like to get in touch with people who may have witnessed the incident.
The grim discovery comes as the surviving pilot’s harrowing distress call reveals what happened in the aftermath of the collision.
“Viper 1…mayday, mayday, mayday,” the surviving pilot said.
An air traffic controller then replies: ‘Viper 1, roger your mayday. Do you expect Viper 1 to be in the water?’
“I expect Viper 2 to be in the water… we can see a splash mark,” the pilot replied.