A chartered twin-engine Beechcraft Super King Air on a flight to the golf resort at King island 160 miles away crashed. The plane's pilot had reported a "catastrophic engine failure" just after takeoff and in a few minutes crashed into the direct factory outlet close to the airport. The plane carried 4 Americans who were on a golfing holiday. All 4, including the pilot, were killed. Nobody else was injured or killed. The pilot Max Quatermain was also the owner of the charter company named Corporate and Leisure travel. This was reported by Sky news, Australia.
Crash
The plane had taken off from Melbourne's second biggest airport in the suburb of Essendon and was setting course across the ocean to the south of the island of Tasmania.The plane crashed into the Shopping Mall. Luckily, the shopping mall had not opened and was still 45 minutes from opening. As the plane hit the mall, it burst into flames and the chances of any of the occupants surviving were bleak. Police and helpers rushed to the site but despite their efforts, nobody could be saved.The flames were doused before they could spread. It was a blessing in disguise as the casualties could have been heavy in case the mall had opened.
First major crash in 30 years
The plane crash was a shock and the premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews commented that it was the worst air accident in the state in nearly 30 years.
He told the Australian Broadcasting corporation " We are currently reaching out to their families to provide them with the support they need to try to comfort them at what must be a just a horrible moment".
Investigation
An investigation into the air crash of the twin-engine Beechcraft has commenced. This is being conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and 4 investigators have arrived at the scene of the accident.
As the plane had burst immediately into a ball of fire and debris were thrown 100 meters away, the investigators may not be able to nail the exact cause of the accident. The King Airplane has a good safety record and pilots generally feel its a good plane, but this accident will dent that confidence.