Two killed in Queensland plane crash were experienced pilots, airline confirms
Emergency services were called to Oakey Cooyar Rd in Kelvinhaugh near Oakey, west of Brisbane, just after 3pm on Sunday when a light aircraft operated by Aero Logistics crashed into a paddock.
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The Reims Cessna F406 twin turboprop came down in a grassy field and burst into flames on impact, creating a 'large fireball', according to Queensland Police.
Aero Logistics confirmed on Monday the two people killed were one of its company pilots and an external flight examiner.
'This is a terrible tragedy for the two people onboard the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates,' CEO Ben Smee said in a statement.
'They were experienced pilots and well-respected by everyone at Aero Logistics.
'This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew them.'
The flight is understood to have been part of a standard proficiency check, a routine assessment of a pilot's ability to handle the aircraft using only cockpit instruments, without visual reference to the horizon.
The check needs to be completed every 12 months by instrument rated pilots.
The aircraft took off at about 2.30pm from Warwick.
'Now, exactly what's occurred here is still not entirely clear to us, but we do know that in most likelihood it was conducting ILS, which is instrument landing system approaches into Oakey,' said Angus Mitchell, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
'Something has obviously quite tragically gone wrong.
'We have some witness statements and CCTV footage to help us piece this together.
'But we'll also need to spend some time on the site today and over the next two or three days to understand what it can tell us.
'Equally, we'll need to look at the history of the aircraft itself and its maintenance records, those on board, training qualifications.'
'There is a lot of evidence to pull together, which will take us a number of days before we can start piecing together the sequence of events.'
Police say the aircraft was manufactured in France around 1990, making it about 35 years old.
It has been in Australia for about 13 years.
Authorities confirmed the ATSB previously investigated the same aircraft in 2014 over an issue with its oxygen system.
However, police said this is 'unlikely to be associated with what occurred yesterday' and investigations are currently focused on processing the crash site and gathering relevant evidence.
'We know that the flight yesterday was at around 6000 feet at its peak, so that's unlikely to have played any role here. '
7NEWS understood the pilot made an emergency call shortly before the crash.
Police said the two occupants died on impact.
'We do know that the impact is quite contained, which suggests a fairly steep rate of descent into the ground.'
Acting Senior Sergeant Matt Forbes told reporters the plane caught fire as it hit the ground.
The ATSB launched an investigation and is transporting the wreckage to its Canberra facilities for detailed analysis.
Aero Logistics has suspended all flight operations until further notice and is co-operating fully with the ATSB and other authorities.
'Safety is our first and most important priority,' Smee said.
'The cause of the accident will be thoroughly investigated for the sake of the families and the ongoing safety of our fleet.'
The company has offered support services to the families of the victims and made counselling available to its staff.
Police said this crash marks the 11th aviation accident in Australia this year, which is about the national average but acknowledged it 'doesn't make it any easier for those who've lost loved ones'.
'Every accident and incident that we investigate is different and we understand the implications to not only those that have had loved ones that are directly involved with the broader community,' Mitchell said.
'So we are very focused on searching for recommendations that can lead to a safer environment for aviation and indeed for marine and rail that we investigate also.'
Anyone who witnessed the crash or captured footage of the aircraft during its flight or in the aftermath is urged to contact the ATSB.
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