HE WAS twice shot down during World War II and led an RAAF squadron in Korea, but Kenneth Andrews's involvement in the mid-air collision which claimed the lives of two young women on Thursday has still rocked the ageing pilot's core.
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Andrews, an 89-year-old veteran with 27,000 hours flying experience, was examining a young student pilot on Thursday morning when his Liberty XL2 collided with a Cessna 152 as both aircraft headed toward Bankstown Airport.
"At first it was disbelief," Mr Andrews said yesterday at his Gladesville home. "Then it was a case of taking control of the aircraft as best as possible."
The Cessna plunged 500 metres to the ground, slamming into a home at Casula, killing student pilot Chandrika Gaur, 18, and her newly licensed instructor, Joanne Ethell.
"I'm sincerely saddened by the deaths of two beautiful young people," Mr Andrews said. "This is obviously very distressing for the families and I offer my most sincere condolences [to them], to her friends and those who knew her in the industry."
Responding to claims that Bankstown Airport's air traffic procedures were unsafe, Mr Andrews said the air space in the region was crowded.
"It was a case of crowded air space," he said. "Bankstown Airport is one of the most crowded airports for this type of aircraft in Australia."
Investigators say it is remarkable that Mr Andrews and his young student survived the accident, with some suggesting he managed a miraculous safe landing at Bankstown after the incident occurred.
But it is not the first time the veteran has had an incredible escape. Mr Andrews was shot down twice while serving in Papua New Guinea and its surrounding islands during World War II.
"Dad was shot down but managed to escape both times," Mr Andrews' son, Warren, told the Herald .
"He told us that on one occasion he went down on the wrong side of Japanese lines. He crossed back over enemy lines by floating down a river, hoping the crocodiles didn't notice the additional log.
"He came from a generation that experienced the Depression and war and he doesn't like to talk about his experiences."
Mr Andrews went on to become a squadron commander in the Korean War, before retiring from the RAAF and joining the civil aviation sector. He has spent the past 40 years teaching and examining student pilots, becoming one of Sydney's best-known instructors.
The friendships and connections he has formed have made this week's tragedy even harder to bear. Yesterday he visited staff at Basair, the flight instruction school where Miss Ethell worked, to give his condolences to the young woman's colleagues and friends.
Mr Andrews maintains that he acted appropriately throughout the flight, adhering to all the rules and regulations. But his age has led some to question whether he is still fit to take to the air.
The Herald has received a number of emails from Mr Andrews' former students which include claims that he was a poor instructor, prone to falling asleep during flight training sessions.
But Mr Andrews denied he was unfit to fly. "I have recently completed my six-monthly air test, as I am required to do, and that test was passed without incident," he said.
"That is the most authoritative illustration of my fitness to fly. When I step into an aircraft … I feel that I am capable and qualified and safe to fly."
He will not talk about the details of the collision until the coroner has completed his investigation and until then the cause of the accident remains a mystery. But he says that "after considerable thought" he has decided he will fly again, though I do not take the decision lightly."
Mr Andrews said his student had yelled in shock when the collision occurred, before handing over control of the aircraft.
