A small plane crash near Canberra is suspected to have claimed the lives of four individuals.
There were reportedly four persons on board the plane at the time—a man and three children—as they travelled to Armidale. They have not yet received a formal identity.
When the “catastrophic collision” occurred, according to NSW Police Superintendent Cath Bradbury, there were no survivors.
After 3 p.m., the small single-engine aircraft’s wreckage was discovered on a Hadlow Street property in Gundaroo, on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales.
“We’re still working on who was in the plane and how many, we do not know those details at this stage, it is very early in our investigation,” Bradbury stated.
“Police will be working through the night with a crime scene.”
The collision caused a small grassfire, which the Rural Fire Service put out.
It is believed that a local contacted 911 after spotting the smoke.”The collision is heavy impact, which has caused a fire,” Bradbury stated.
After being informed, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) plans to visit the area this evening.
“It’s evident that there aren’t many witnesses because it’s a remote area,” Bradbury stated. There aren’t many other ways to figure out what transpired.
“At this stage we will be processing our crime scene investigation tonight and hopefully establish over a period of time what the cause was.”
Shortly about 2:30 p.m., the five-seater Cirrus S-R-22 departed Canberra Airport.
The plane went north after tracking south near Queanbeyan.
After six minutes, the aircraft abruptly dropped close to Lake George, and air traffic control was unable to get in contact with the pilot. It is believed that a flying club in Queensland owns the aircraft.
