A married couple and their friend have been killed when their light plane crashed south of Sydney.
Andrew Connors, along with his wife Julieanne and family friend Colin McLachlan, were on their way to Bathurst when their Piper Cherokee Lance plane met with an accident at Shellharbour Airport.
The plane took off just before 10am and was in the air for a few seconds before the aircraft tilted onto one wing and crashed.
“It did disintegrate upon impact with the ground, one wing came off completely.”
Mr and Mrs Connors, who have been described by a friend as fun-loving, were on their way to race weekend with McLachlan.
Mr Connors was known in the community for his company Connors Buildings.
The Australian Transport and Safety Bureau is investigating the crash.
NSW Police Chief Inspector Aaron Wunderlich stated the crash occurred in front of as many as 15 onlookers, which included firefighters and guests at the adjacent HARS Aviation Museum.
Wunderlich thanked emergency services for their work at the scene of the tragic accident.
“They did a fantastic job of what was really a horrific scene,” he said.
