'Dust devils took down Yarrawonga plane' while filming Amazing Race
The two men killed in an ultra-light plane crash at Yarrawonga were a TV cameraman and a popular Melbourne-based pilot shooting Vietnam's version of The Amazing Race.
Pilot Ian Cook, 60, and his rear passenger, Vietnamese man Quoc Huong Vu, 44, were both killed on impact after losing control and crashing into a paddock just after 3.30pm on Sunday.
Investigators have been told the recreational aircraft, known as a trike, was seen circling near the airport before dropping to the ground 500 metres away.
Several people claim they saw dust devils which are mini tornadoes full of dirt, located at the end of the runway on Sunday.
"Something small like this can be extremely dangerous and you can generally see that because if picks up the dust,” flight instructor Warren McNally told 7 News.
Mr Huong was a Sydney-based cameraman for the reality TV show and was inside the XT-912 Arrow aircraft when it ploughed into a field and split in two.
There was reportedly no mayday call.
“It was a real big bang, a really big thump and as you can see the aircraft is really embedded into the ground,” witness, Gary McNamara told 7 News.
It is believed Mr Huong was filming at the time of the crash and investigators may be able to use the footage to determine what caused the trike to go down.
Yarrawonga Aerodrome manager Peter McLean supplied Mr Cook with the XT-912 Arrow and was one of the first people on the scene.
He said Mr Cook was a well-liked and well-respected pilot.
“It’s not like he was a newcomer to the sport he is very experienced,” Mr McLean said.
Mr McLean says that the trikes use are made in France and the UK and "have some of the best safety records in the world.
Although it is still early in the investigation, police believe there was nothing wrong with the plane.
“Everything would tend to point toward atmospheric issues at the time of the flight,” Victoria Police Insp. Kevin Coughlin told 7 News.
Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
The Amazing Race has since moved production to Albury but further filming plans for Sydney have been cancelled.
