Terrible, terrible!
Policewoman, son killed in Bathurst plane crash - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Detective Superintendent Mick Goodwin says the twin-engine Piper Navajo crashed shortly after taking off at around 8.30pm AEDT and appeared to be trying to return to the airport.
Superintendent Goodwin says there was a radio transmission before the crash and the site can only be described as carnage.
Peter Gibson from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) says the plane hit the ground very hard and exploded on impact.
"There was debris spread over some hundreds of metres around the impact site, plus a post impact fire," he said.
Sounds like some sort of malfunction that rendered the aircraft uncontrollable very quickly, and if it was indeed the owner piloting, even too much for a very experienced IFR driver. So sad!
Anyone overheard said transmission?
I have often admired this beautiful machine, it was parked very close to my own at YMMB.. apparently it was extremely well looked after by the owner and its engineers, incomprehensible how this could have happened, I am sure we'll find out.. saw the owner perform a detailed daily inspection just a few weeks back