Plane crash pilot remembered as wonderful father
Investigators have removed the wreckage of an ultralight plane in which two men died after it crashed in South Australia’s Barossa valley yesterday.
Tony Duggan was flying the Tecnam ultralight with passenger Gary Williams on board when the wing sheared off in rough weather.
The plane crashed into a paddock and burst into flames.
Both men died at the scene.
Mr Duggan’s friends and relatives gathered at his beloved Bulldogs football club today to pay tribute to the father of three.
“Tony was a loving husband, a wonderful father, a good son, brother, uncle and friend,” friend Damien Carey said.
Investigators said pilots can get disorientated in cloud, which can lead to accidents.
“We won’t be ruling anything out, our investigation will look at structural aspects of the aircraft, the event that occurred during the flight including the GPS track,” Michael Monck from Recreational Aviation Australia.
“It’s a very well-regarded aircraft – it’s an Italian-made aircraft, all metal construction.”
The wreckage has been taken away to be tested by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
“We will be getting their help to look at the engineering aspects and try and help identify why the wing separated from the aircraft,” Mr Monck said.
The under-11 football team Mr Duggan coached will go ahead and pay at Angaston tonight, wearing black armbands in his honour.
