A recreational pilot made a safe "precautionary landing" into a Mollongghip paddock after the single-seat home-built Corby Starlet ultralight he was flying developed an oil leak on a trip from Kyneton to Colac in Victoria - the starboard undercarriage leg collapsed after touchdown - the amateur pilot was uninjured

A 'serious near-miss' is under investigation by the ATSB between a Virgin Blue Boeing with 120 POB and a Cathay Pacific A330 en-route from Hong Kong to Melbourne - initial reports indicate both aircraft were heading towards each other on reciprocal tracks and at the same height south of Katherine last Tuesday

The mid-air collision was avoided when the crew of the Cathay Pacific flight queried the controller who then instructed the Airbus to climb and the Boeing to divert right of track

"The fault is believed to have been made by Brisbane-based air traffic controllers"

Media have reported on a light aircraft crashing into water around Dent Island alongside Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays

The pilot was able to extract himself from the submerged machine and was taken ashore by local boaties

Steve was departing Hamilton Island in his parachute-equipped single-engine Cirrus when it apparently lost power - he tried to return on the 'remaining power' but soon realised he was not going to make it and activated the aircraft's emergency parachute

The parachute deployed successfully and the relatively new aircraft landed in the water under the canopy - "The doors were jammed so I used an emergency hammer to smash the window to get out" - a passing Ferry rescued Steve from his life raft "within minutes"