Ready said,“looking at the damage on the ground”,it was “quite lucky” that the survivor was not seriously injured.
He said all emergency services complete regular drills and exercises at the Caboolture Aerodrome,and he praised the quick response of ambulance and fire crews to the accident scene.
He asked members of the public who witnessed the incident to contact police so they could obtain a full picture of the incident.
“It is at the other end of the aerodrome,which is furthest from the Bruce Highway,but there will be people who may well have seen some of the aircraft and their movements prior to the collision.”
The airfield was closed while investigations continue.
Caboolture’s McNaught Road houses the Caboolture Airport which includes the Caboolture Aero Club,the Caboolture Gliding Club and the Caboolture Warplane Museum.
Mitchell,the ATSB’s chief commissioner,said investigators from the bureau’s Brisbane office arrived on-site on Friday afternoon and would be joined by Canberra-based colleagues on Saturday.
“Investigators will begin gathering evidence by mapping the accident site,examining the aircraft wreckage,interviewing the surviving pilot and witnesses,and collecting relevant recorded information such as any CCTV footage and flight tracking data,” he said.
Mitchell asked anyone who witnessed the accident,or had footage of either aircraft at any time of their flights,to make contactvia the witness form on the ATSB website at their earliest opportunity.
He said a preliminary report,which would detail information established during the investigation’s initial evidence collection phase,would be released in six to eight weeks.
A final report would list contributing factors and any identified safety issues.
“However,should any critical safety issues be identified at any stage during the course of the investigation,the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate safety action can be taken,” Mitchell said.
There have been previous accidents at the air precinct,includingone incident when a Cessna crashed,killing five people,in March 2014.