A recreational flight ended in tragedy within just eight minutes of takeoff, killing a devoted father and his young daughter when their light aircraft crashed and burst into flames.
Ian Campbell, 56, and his daughter Hannah, 23, died on Monday after their Beechcraft A36 Bonanza came down on a property on Musch Rd at Chambers Flat, near Logan in southeast Queensland, shortly after 11am.
The aircraft had been cleared for departure from Brisbane’s Archerfield Airport at 10.57am, with air traffic control recordings suggesting the plane’s radio was experiencing problems and cutting in and out.
Flight data showed the aircraft climbed to about 1,000ft by 11am before encountering trouble. Over the next five minutes, it descended sharply before crashing into the field at 11.05am.
Authorities have not confirmed whether any mayday calls were made. Witnesses nearby said they heard the engine struggling as the plane approached the ground.
‘It was flying directly over our house, quite low, and it was spluttering so it was clear that there was some engine issues. I saw it bank and it went down, and then I heard a bang,’ witness Eldjie Cojocaru told 7News.
Video from the crash site showed debris scattered across a blackened paddock, where the impact sparked a grass fire and left the wreckage smouldering.
Residents near the scene called Triple Zero after hearing the explosion and seeing thick smoke rising into the sky.
Beechcraft A36 Bonanza light plane crashed (abpve) at a property in Chambers Flat shortly before midday on Monday
Ian Campbell (right) and his daughter, Hannah, sadly died in the crash
Police (above) are investigating the circumstances of the plane crash
Aviation enthusiasts online speculated the father and daughter may have been aiming for nearby grass airstrip after suffering an engine failure but didn’t make it in time.
Three investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau were sent to the scene.
Mr Campbell founded the well-known dairy business Barambah Organics with his wife, Jane, in 2002 after converting his fourth-generation family farm. The family still part-owns the company.
The family were also supporters of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In an interview published just weeks before the tragedy, Ms Campbell spoke of the family’s love of flying and how it had bonded her to her husband.
‘We’re probably adrenaline junkies. Flying has been a big part of our married life from the very beginning,’ Ms Campbell told the Goondiwindi Argus.
‘It’s really exciting getting up in the air, even if you’re just checking paddocks.
‘We love seeing how different the country looks from above, across Beardmore Dam to the Dumaresq and Maranoa rivers. Seeing just how patching the rain can be is incredible.’
Ms Campbell said the couple had learnt to fly at Archerfield in 1999 and completed their pilot training together as part of their honeymoon.
Hannah was a keen traveller according to her social media profiles
Mr Campbell (above) was an aviation enthusiast, having learned to fly at Archerfield in 1999
The family run an organic farming business and are much-loved community members
In August, the family completed the Kokoda Trail challenge which Ms Campbell had said she was looking forward to experiencing with Hannah.
‘I’m looking forward to walking with Hannah and carving out that time together,’ she said before the family set off on the trail.
Barambah Organics chief executive Chris Elliott said the company’s 100 or so employees were deeply saddened by the loss and their thoughts were with the Campbell family.
‘We’ve just pulled everyone together and had an open forum where we shared our concerns and thoughts, coming together over a morning tea,’ he said.
The loss of Mr Campbell was ‘incredibly sad for the business’, now located in Melbourne, Mr Elliott said.
‘He certainly had an impact. His legacy through our brand will carry on.’
On Tuesday, family and friends of the Campbells began paying their tributes, with one man describing Hannah as an ‘angel.’
‘Many memories of a beautiful young lady who was always first for breakfast every morning with a smile and radiating energy,’ the man said.
The family supports the Royal Flying Doctor Service and walked the Kokoda Track (pictured)
Three investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau were deployed to thecrash site (above)
‘She will be missed by so many who were fortunate enough to have met her. A young lady taken early.’
Logan district officer police Chief Superintendent Mel Adams has appealed for anyone who saw the plane or witnessed the crash to come forward.
‘It was a very confronting scene, as you can imagine,’ she said.
‘What I would ask is for anybody who heard the aircraft, saw the aircraft in the air before it crashed in the Stockleigh area… [or] for anybody that may have witnessed the aircraft hit the ground… please, as a matter of priority, contact police.’
