A former Qantas pilot has been identified as one of the three victims of a horror plane crash in Sydney’s southwest.
Grandfather Gary Criddle, 72, affectionately known as ‘Gaz’ to loved ones, was killed when two light planes crashed into each other at Belimbla Park, in Oakdale, at 11.50am on Saturday.
Mr Criddle and a 29-year-old man were travelling on a Cessna 182 from Cessnock to Shellharbour Airport when they collided with an ultralight Jabiru plane, which is believed to have taken off from The Oaks’ airfield.
Both men and the single occupant of the Jabiru – the 60-year-old pilot – suffered ‘unsurvivable injuries’ and died at the scene.
Mr Criddle’s family said he spent 20 years in the Navy and Airforce before working for Qantas for 31 years.
‘We’re absolutely devastated beyond words and in total shock by this tragic loss. Gary, affectionately known as Gaz, was a very much loved husband, father, grandfather and aviator,’ his family said in a statement.
‘He was a mentor to many aspiring pilots and an avid adventurer with plans to sail the world. Gaz was full of fun, laughter and generosity.
‘His loss is immeasurable and he will be deeply missed.’
Mr Criddle and his wife Sue were one of the affected owners of the Mascot Towers fiasco, which saw 132 families forced to vacate from the south Sydney apartment blocks due to major structural faults.
Speaking to Daily Mail in December last year, the couple revealed they wanted to retire but had been forced to keep working after losing almost $1million on their one bedroom unit.
Despite the property being uninhabitable, the pair were still paying body corporate fees for a home they had not been able to live in for years.
Saturday’s collision sparked a bushfire as one of the planes hit the ground, with emergency services rushing to extinguish the blaze before they could access the site.
Smoke was seen billowing into the sky above the scene of the crash, with witnesses reporting seeing a ‘fireball’ to Seven News.
NSW Police Acting Superintendent Timothy Calman said damage at the scene suggested a mid-air collision which sent one plane ‘straight down’ into the ground.
The mid-air crash happened in an uncontrolled airspace where there was ‘a lot more traffic’.
‘The scene that we’re closest to here that has been impacted by fire, it would not have been a survivable impact,’ Supt Calman said.
‘The second scene that’s a kilometre north of here, that aircraft did not burn, but it would also not have been survivable.’
NSW Ambulance Inspector Joseph Ibrahim said 10 ambulance resources, including a helicopter, were deployed to the ‘confronting’ scene but nothing could be done to save the men.
Police and ATSB officers will be interviewing all witnesses of the crash in order to understand what happened.
One person living in the area said on Facebook they saw a parachute open and a plane ‘nosedive’.
Another resident said they heard a ‘loud bang’ before everything fell silent.
‘Normal engine sounds, then loud bang, spluttering, then silence. Ran out the paddock to try see where but couldn’t see it,’ she wrote.
The planes crashed near Sydney Recreational Flying Club and Dave’s Flying School but it is not known if either plane was associated with the schools.