Police and air crash investigators have resumed their search for a pilot and a TV camera operator whose aircraft crashed into the water off Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula.
James Rose, 30, and a pilot were on board one of two light Viper S-211 Marchetti planes conducting a formation flight that collided mid-air about 1.45pm on Sunday.
Their aircraft, operated by Jetworks Aviation, crashed into Port Phillip Bay, while the other plane, which also had two people on board, was able to land safely at Essendon airport.
It is understood Rose was filming for a new TV show when disaster struck. He tagged a video production company in a social media post just hours before the crash, which appeared to show him sitting in the cockpit of one of the jets.
Rose, a talented drone operator, has worked on high-profile TV shows, including for the Nine Network, Seven Network and production company EndemolShine, which produces MasterChef.
On Monday morning his father, David Rose, returned to Mount Martha Life Saving Club, which is about 12km west of where search efforts resumed.
He did not wish to speak to media but in a statement to the Herald Sun said he was “so proud” of his son.
“He is recognised as one of the best drone operators in Australia and worked on all the big-name TV shows,” Rose said. “That’s why he was up there in the plane.”
Essendon Fields-based Jetworks Aviation hosts flight training and joy rides, with one package offering a 45-minute two-jet fighter formation flight.
The jet that made it back to Essendon landed about 1.50pm on Sunday, according to flight records.
Three rescue helicopters, water police and volunteer crews were searching the bay on Sunday but the hours-long search was paused once darkness hit.
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The Australian Maritime Safety Authority handed over control of the search to Victorian police once it wrapped up operations about 7.30pm on Sunday.
It is understood that wreckage from the jet, including a plane tyre and what appeared to be part of a wing, were retrieved from the bay before the search was paused.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has confirmed it will also investigate the incident, with a preliminary report due to be released in two months. It is hoping to speak to the pilot of the second plane on Monday.
The Viper S-211 is an Italian-made fighter plane, primarily used for air force training.