PICTURED: Adventure-loving woman, 23, pulled dead from a lake after a freak accident in an ultralight aircraft being piloted by her uncle
- Kathleen Canavan has been identified as the woman who died in a plane crash
- Her body was uncovered from Lake Eildon in Victoria on Saturday night
- Her uncle was the pilot of the hang glider that plunged into the lake
A young woman who died in a freak accident in an ultralight aircraft being piloted by her uncle has been remembered as a 'very loving and compassionate' person.
Kathleen Canavan, 23, was riding close to the water in Lake Eildon, Victoria, near her grandfather's family farm when the plane suddenly lurched downwards.
Her dead body was recovered from the lake on Saturday night after a harrowing search, while her uncle Danny in his 40s survived the crash with minor injuries.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, Ms Canavan's devastated mother Karen mourned the loss of a deeply religious daughter and sister who was 'beautiful inside and out'.
Kathleen Canavan (pictured) died during a hang glider crash with her uncle on Saturday
'She just tried so hard to make people happy in any way she could, she would give her last dollar to someone,' Mrs Canavan said.
Ms Canavan had three sisters and two brothers and was currently living with her parents in their Vermont South home.
She was working as a property manager for real estate company Fletchers before her death.
Share this article
She was described by family members as adventurous, having a huge love for the outdoors as well being a dedicated Roman Catholic who attended church every Sunday.
'She would do anything for anyone,' Mrs Canavan said.
'She was just beautiful inside and out.'
'She was just beautiful, inside and out,' Kathleen's (pictured) mother said after the shocking death of her daughter
The aircraft (pictured) has been pulled from the bottom of Lake Eildon in Victoria and brought ashore
Ms Canavan's uncle, who is in his 40s, piloted the hang glider and escaped with minor injuries.
He was pulled from the water by a fishing boat and was released from the Alfred Hospital today.
The light plane was brought ashore from the bottom of the lake on Sunday as loved ones watched on, comforting each other.
The cause behind the aircraft's crash has not been revealed.
An eyewitness to the crash told The Herald Sun the 'smiling pilot' had been flying close to the surface of the lake prior to the incident.
'The plane was maybe a metre and a half above the water, and he was going very fast, he was so close I could see his grin, and I remember saying 'This guy's going to have an accident,' the witness said.
'I could see the pilot and another woman on board — she looked around the same age as the man and she may have been strapped to the aircraft.'
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate the cause of the accident.
The body of Ms Canavan was found on Saturday night after search and rescue divers scoured the lake
'The plane was maybe a metre and a half above the water, and he was going very fast, he was so close I could see his grin, and I remember saying 'This guy's going to have an accident,' a witness said
A weight-shifted microlight is a hang glider with an engine with a tricycle undercarriage.
Traditionally, if the engine stops on a weight-shift microlight than the aircraft becomes a glider and should still fly.
According to a report from ATSB there were 61 incidents, 20 serious incidents and 129 accidents in weight-shift aircraft in the 10 years leading to 2017.
'On average, weight shift aircraft had the lowest accident rates of all types of recreational flying,' the report stated.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
