Plane crashes into Cheltenham house, pilot killed | Herald Sun
BREAKING NEWS: A PILOT has been hailed a hero after guiding his stricken plane away from a primary school before crashing.
The plane crashed into a garage and carport in Cheltenham after a mid-air collision. The pilot died at the scene but there were no reports of injuries on the ground.
Two planes are believed to have collided in mid-air just before 1pm. The other pilot is reportedly safe and well after landing his aircraft.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Fire Brigade hailed the pilot as a hero for guiding his plane away from a nearby primary school.
“We were very lucky that the pilot’s skill allowed him to land the aircraft where he did," she said.
“Had he crashed across the road he would have gone straight into Cheltenham Primary School.
“He managed to land the aircraft in such a way as to protect the public.”
“He was a bit of a hero.”
A Silver St resident was driving her car when the plane came down in front of them.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said her girlfriend noticed the troubled plane plummeting to the ground.
"It was on fire,'' she said.
"I'm pretty upset at the moment.''
She said although they were some distance from Moorabbin Airport it was always a concern.
"You always worry about it,'' she said.
Both planes and pilots were members of the Royal Victorian Areoclub, a club spokeswoman told the
Herald Sun this afternoon.
Police also said they had "locked down" the Cheltenham East Primary School at the end of the street, but there are no fears for students or nearby residents.
A police spokeswoman said all students were safe and well.
Eyewitness Alexandra Mikhman told
Bayside Leader she was stunned to see the plane plunge to earth.
''I was with my baby our for a walk I heard this noise and I thought some kids were flying a toy plane.
''Then I saw it drop into the garage and it burst into flames.
''It was going straight down. I thought it would manoeuvre up but it didn’t.
''I was in shock. It was so scary. I had my baby.
''I started screaming.‘’
A police spokeswoman said it was believed the two light aircraft clipped each other mid-air as they flew over the beachside suburb, near the Moorabbin Airport.
One plane landed safely nearby.
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