A man and three children have been killed after a light plane crashed and burst into flames near Lake George in south-eastern NSW.
Police, fire crews and paramedics rushed to a paddock at Gundaroo on the western edge of Lake George about 35km north of Queanbeyan just before 3pm on Friday after reports the aircraft had crashed and caught fire. It’s understood the aircraft experienced trouble shortly after taking off from Canberra. Rural Fire Service officers extinguished the blaze but the five-seater Cirrus aircraft was destroyed.
The New England Times has confirmed that the three children on board were Armidale residents – a boy aged 11, and two girls aged nine and six. The experienced amateur pilot was their grandfather from Queensland, believed to be President of the Redcliffe Aero Club.
Superintendent Cath Bradbury described the crash as ‘catastrophic’.
“The RFS extinguished the plane – unfortunately there are no survivors,” she said.
Emergency services found the plane alight in a paddock in Gundaroo, on the western edge of Lake George, extinguished the blaze and established a crime scene.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the crash.
Flight information shows the single-engine aircraft arrived in Canberra on Wednesday after travelling via Armidale from Redcliffe, north of Brisbane.
Like what you’re reading? Support The New England Times by making a small contribution today and help us keep delivering local news paywall-free. Support now