Lake George Canberra air crash: Tragic victims will be ‘difficult’ to identify as plane completely destroyed by fire, investigators say – as pilot’s club offers ‘deepest condolences’

Official identification of the victims of Friday’s fatal light plane crash in Lake George near Canberra could take weeks because of the plane’s ‘total destruction’.

The 65-year-old pilot, his 11-year-old grandson and two granddaughters, aged nine and six, were killed when the five-seat Cirrus SR22 VH-MSF crashed to the ground and exploded.

The pilot was highly experienced and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said on Saturday that teams were already examining the crash site at a shelter in Gundaroo, north of Queanbeyan.

“This will be a difficult undertaking given how charred the wreckage is,” said ATSB’s Colin McNamara.

“But over the next few days, I am fully confident that investigators will gather as much information and evidence as they can from the scene of the accident.”

Mr McNamara said ATSB crews would monitor for spilled chemicals, burnt carbon fiber and possible explosive materials.

The crashed plane was registered to Up N Up Aviation, owned by Mike Cahill (pictured) who is president of the Redcliffe Aero Club

Investigators said work was the cause of the crash and identifying victims would be difficult due to the level of destruction.

The plane had departed from Canberra on a 750km journey to Armidale in northern NSW.

The pilot from Bunya in Brisbane is said to have hundreds of hours of flying experience, while his grandchildren are said to be from NSW.

The aircraft was registered to Up N Up Aviation, owned by Mike Cahill who is president of the Redcliffe Aero Club in Brisbane. It is not known who was at the controls of the 21-year-old plane when it fell from the sky.

It crashed minutes after takeoff, having climbed to 9,000 feet before quickly losing altitude and crashing to the ground where it burst into flames.

The single-engine plane exploded on impact around 2:50 p.m.

The Redcliffe Aero Club released a statement on Saturday following the crash.

“The Redcliffe Aero Club extends its deepest condolences to the family of the pilot and passengers who were tragically killed on Friday 6 October 2023,” the organization said.

The pilot was active in the social side of the Club with many hours of flying experience.

The Redcliffe Aero Club in Queensland released a statement on Saturday saying the pilot was active in their club

The light aircraft (pictured) crashed north-east of Canberra on Friday afternoon before bursting into flames

Emergency crews (pictured) arrived at the scene after the crash, while firefighters from the Rural Fire Service worked quickly to extinguish the flames.

Flight information shows the single-engine plane arrived in Canberra on Wednesday after traveling via Armidale from Redcliffe, north of Brisbane.

It is learned that the plane disappeared from the radar screens 16 minutes after departure on Friday.

Mr McNamara praised the first responders at the scene.

“These are truly tragic circumstances made worse by news that children are involved,” he said.

He also urged any other witnesses to the crash to contact the ATSB.

“Yesterday we were contacted by a number of witnesses for whom we are very grateful. This prompts me to say, if anyone has relevant information about this accident, please go to our website.’

The Cirrus SR-22 is a single-engine aircraft and is one of the most popular General Aviation aircraft in the world, regularly topping the world’s best-selling lists.

Six minutes after takeoff, the plane went into a steep dive near Lake George with air traffic control unable to establish communications with the pilot.

The area was still alight when emergency crews arrived and firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the flames.

“When the police arrived with the RFS services there was a small grass fire and obviously a catastrophic crash of a small light aircraft,” said Superintendent of Police Cath Bradbury.

The RFS put the aircraft out – unfortunately there are no survivors. They have not yet been officially identified. A report will be prepared for the coroner.’

The US-made Cirrus SR-22 is a single-engine aircraft and one of the most popular General Aviation aircraft in the world, regularly topping global best-seller lists.

McNamara said engineers will study the plane’s maintenance log as well as the pilot’s flight history.

The ATSB’s preliminary report is expected to be released within two months.