Probe finds plane had engine trouble before fatal crash
Airport CCTV has revealed a light plane had difficulty with its engine before a fiery crash that killed a prominent agriculture figure and his daughter.
An investigation into a light plane crash and fire that killed a father and daughter has found the aircraft’s engine had trouble starting just before the tragedy.
Ian Campbell, 56, and his daughter Hannah, 23, were killed about seven minutes later at about 11:05am when their aircraft hit the ground at Stockleigh, south of Brisbane, sparking a large grass fire.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Tuesday released a preliminary report into the crash that found evidence suggesting the plane had struggled while in the air and had low power before crashing.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said CCTV footage from the airport showed the pilot had been unable to start the aircraft’s engine prior to the flight.
”It was reported that an engineer, working nearby, then assisted to start the engine with a battery cart,” Mitchell said.
Witnesses heard an engine sputtering and observed the aircraft dropping suddenly prior to the crash.
Damage to the propeller indicated a low engine power setting at the moment of impact and the landing gear was also extended, the preliminary report found.
Multiple crews worked to quickly contain the fire sparked by the crash, which burned close to a farmhouse before being brought under control.
Tributes to Ian and Hannah after the crash highlighted the family’s support for their local community and Campbell’s contributions to the agricultural sector.
Campbell, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, founded the Barambah Organics company in Queensland with his wife Jane.
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The family also operates Manana Pastoral in the Goondiwindi region, producing olive oil, lamb and beef.
The bureau will continue to examine flight data, maintenance records and audio recordings of the flight for a final report to be released at a later time.
”The (preliminary) report details evidence gathered in the early phases of the ATSB’s investigation to be further analysed as the investigation progresses,” Mitchell said.
-with AAP
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