The pilot who died instantly when his light aircraft nose-dived into the ground near Braidwood has been named as John Corbett from Picton in NSW.
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Mr Corbett was attempting to land at an airstrip on a property near the Nerriga Road. He was in radio contact with people on the ground before he circled and then the single-engine XL-2 Liberty aircraft turned nose-down.
He was a wealthy property developer who had flown to Moruya from Camden on Monday and was returning on Tuesday morning. It seems he was friendly with the property owner in Braidwood and was calling in on his way back.
Mr Corbett is married with a grown up son and daughter, described by one of his friends as "beautiful".
And eye-witness to the crash, Alan Hannaford, said, "He circled once, and when he circled a second time he'd gone past the bottom of the strip. We thought 'Oh that's it, he'll head off'.
"And in a heartbeat, the left wing dropped and the plane did a sort of a 90-degree spin and just drove straight into the ground."
Mr Hannaford has a landing strip on his farm, but it is not clear if the pilot was trying to land there or on a neighbouring property.
The dead man was a stalwart of the business scene in Picton.
He had developed property there, including a shopping mall. Last year, he put the shopping centre up for sale for $30 million. He was planning to build a restaurant, motel and brewery.
The left wing dropped and the plane did a sort of a 90-degree spin and just drove straight into the ground.
- Property owner Alan Hannaford, who witnessed the crash
One of his friends, Robert Kahn, said: "I'm devastated. He was a great man to do business with."
Mr Corbett was flying solo in a small two-seater XL-2 Liberty when it crashed.
"He loved flying," said Mr Kahn, who has been a tenant of the deceased man for 30 years as well as a friend.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the cause of the crash.
Three transport safety investigators from Canberra with experience in aircraft maintenance, operations and materials failure were to be deployed to the site.
"The initial ATSB safety investigation will include examination of the accident site and the assessment of aircraft and pilot records, weather information and any available recorded data," a spokesperson from the safety bureau said.
A NSW Police spokesperson said: "A crime scene has been established and a report will be prepared for the information of the coroner."
