Two men who died in a light aircraft crash in country New South Wales are understood to have travelled from Perth specifically to buy and bring home the kit-plane.
It’s believed the home-built plane crashed just seconds after take-off, going down in a paddock close to the small town of Scone in the NSW Upper Hunter, about 270km north of Sydney.
Emergency services were called to the scene just before 2pm AEDT on Friday, discovering the bodies of the two men in the cockpit.
The two-seater ultralight crashed not far from the Scone Memorial Airport where it had taken off.
A crime scene was set up at the site as authorities worked to piece together what had gone tragically wrong.
NSW Police on Friday were working to identify the men, confirming they died on impact.
“We are in the early stages of the investigation at this stage so all things are being considered whether it be weather, pilot error, mechanical error,” NSW Police Inspector Todd Hobson said.
Images from the scene show the plane on its belly in a paddock, with two ambulances and two fire trucks nearby.
The 2012-built plane was sold just last month.
A for-sale advertisement described the Aeropup aircraft as Australian designed and built, well-proven and with foldable wings for easier transport and storage.
The online advertisement listed the plane as sold for a price of $38,000.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it had been informed of the crash, but it did not investigate recreational aircraft accidents.
“The accident has been reported to us and we have confirmed it was a kit-built aircraft on the recreational register,” a spokesperson said. Recreational Aviation Australia has also been informed of the crash.
State MP for Upper Hunter, Dave Layzell, said the crash was a tragedy.
“My deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two men who have tragically been killed in a plane crash at Scone today,” he posted online.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.