The mid air over Mangalore with VH-AEM and VH-JQF was probably the closest to home for me of recent years. I have flown both aircraft for a number of hours and know a lot of people that used them and conducted training in the same airspace. When I saw the news I was worried for a number of people I know who use them regularly and sad to find out who was involved.
I know of a number of aircraft I've flown that have come to an inglorious end over the years, mostly just crumpled in some minor event and scrapped, or entered maintenance and never returned.
I remember a safety seminar back in the 90s, one picture they brought up was a smashed up Chieftain. The speaker had to apologise to one attendee because he soon realised he was the owner of the wrecked machine at the time and was starting to get a little teary. Luckily in that instance no one had been killed in the accident, just a very nice aircraft written off. The owner had bought another PA-31 of similar standard but was now very guarding of who flew it. Unfortunately cancer caught up with this chap as he was later in life and his planes were sold on and left the line a few years later.