Three killed as two planes crash at Belimbla Park in Oakdale in Sydney’s southwest

Dominique Tassell
7NEWS
An emergency involving a light plane is unfolding in Sydney’s southwest.
An emergency involving a light plane is unfolding in Sydney’s southwest. Credit: 7NEWS

Three men have died in a light plane crash in Sydney’s southwest on Saturday morning.

Two light planes collided midair then crashed at Belimbla Park in Oakdale about 11.50am.

Two crime scenes have been established at the crash sites more a kilometre apart, with NSW Police at both locations to ensure they are secured for Air Transport Safety Bureau investigators.

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The devastating incident unfolded when yellow Cessna 182 on its way to Wollongong from Cessnock with two people aboard collided with a white Jabiru, a smaller plane that had just taken off from nearby Oaks Airfield.

The impact of the crashes set off small fires in the area.

Police and firefighters near the scene where two planes collided and crashed, in the vicinity of Belimbla Park, near Oakdale.
Police and firefighters near the scene where two planes collided and crashed, in the vicinity of Belimbla Park, near Oakdale. Credit: Dean Lewins/AAP

“Early stages would appear to be a midair collision,” NSW Police Acting Superintendent Timothy Calman told reporters on Saturday.

“Damage at the scene would indicate the first aircraft has come straight down and we do have witnesses that have reported seeing debris coming from the sky.”

An emergency involving a light plane is unfolding in Sydney’s southwest.
An emergency involving a light plane is unfolding in Sydney’s southwest. Credit: 7NEWS
A fire crew is on the scene.
A fire crew is on the scene. Credit: 7NEWS
Emergency services are responding to the incident.
Emergency services are responding to the incident. Credit: 7NEWS

The men have yet to be identified.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Joseph Ibrahim said 10 ambulance resources including a helicopter were deployed to the “confronting” scene but “nothing could be done”.

“The nature of the injuries were unsurvivable,” he said.

The crash scenes are located near The Oaks airfield, where Sydney Recreational Flying Club operates but it is unknown whether either of the planes were associated with the club.

Three crashes in mere days

Earlier on Saturday in Queensland, a seaplane crashed with five people on board, including its pilot.

The plane crashed in waters off Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays about 9am.

It reportedly “had an incident while operating which resulted in it flipping on to its roof”, emergency services said.

All five people safely evacuated the plane and were recovered by boat and taken to Hamilton Island Marina, where paramedics assessed them.

Two people sustained minor seatbelt injuries, and no one required hospitalisation.

7NEWS understands the passengers were visiting from Sydney, while the pilot is a Whitsundays local.

Earlier this week, a young pilot was killed in a plane crash about 50km northwest of Melbourne.

The 20-year-old received his pilot’s licence earlier this year.

He died at the scene, just a few weeks shy of his 21st birthday.

Originally published on 7NEWS

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