The only-occupant glider and ultra-light plane collided yesterday about 2.45pm at Gympie Airport in Kybong, about 40 kilometres north-west of Noosa Heads.
Turner, 80, and Irvine, 77, each died on the scene.
Residents struggling to come back to phrases with the tragedy remembered the older man as a beloved native glider.
Gliding Australia vp Lindsay Mitchell mentioned Turner was a “quiet gentleman who beloved his sport”.
“He would’ve simply gone up there to take pleasure in himself,” Mitchell mentioned.
“… I suppose we’re simply shocked and coping.”
It is understood Turner was within the air simply 20 minutes earlier than the collision occurred.
“We heard a big bang; I assumed that does not sound good,” witness John Kenman mentioned.
“I did not actually know, I by no means imagined the 2 would possibly’ve collided.”
Precisely the place Irvine’s Kappa KP 2U mild airplane had taken off from and was heading to remained unclear.
It is understood no calls had been made to the Gympie aerodrome, and the way the 2 managed to be in the identical place on the identical time will likely be investigated.
Gympie Regional Council Mayor Glen Hartwig mentioned it was “tough” to find out what precipitated the collision.
“You simply really feel for the households concerned,” he mentioned.
Particles from the aircrafts was thrown a whole lot of metres aside by close by paddocks.
Police mentioned they’d stay on scene for a while accumulating proof.
