Emergency officials in Australia are looking for two people who were on board one of the two ex-military jets that crashed on November 19, 2023, in midair above Port Phillip Bay, close to Melbourne.
One of the Viper S-211 Marchetti planes, piloted by seasoned pilot Stephen Gale, a veteran of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), was involved in an aircraft collision. Gale's jet crashed into the bay due to the collision. James Rose, a videographer and drone operator was with Gale.
The two were reportedly filming for "Jet School," a documentary series that aims to teach beginners advanced flying techniques including aerobatics and formation flying.
The Viper S-211 Marchetti was developed by the Italian manufacturer SIAI-Marchetti in the late 1970s as a low-cost training and light assault aircraft for the armed forces. It was well known for being effective and versatile.
These aircraft are still widely used for training and leisure flying in commercial aviation even though they have been demilitarised for non-military purposes.
The other aircraft, a light Marchetti, made a safe landing at Essendon Fields Airport (MEB) with just minimal damage, according to Channel Nine.
A search and recovery operation was started right away by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and other emergency agencies.
According to Angus Mitchell, Chief Commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the planes seemed to be flying in formation and in close proximity to one another, as reported by ABC News.
According to ABC News, he stated, "We think it was conducting a photo shoot or promotional shoot and one of them has impacted the other."
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