Plane crash at Lake George Canberra: Family share message after aircraft killed children and grandfather
Lake George Canberra plane crash: Family shares message after plane kills children, grandfather
- Family of plane crash breaks silence
- Three children and a grandfather were killed
The family of four people killed in a horror plane crash have spoken for the first time since the disaster.
Peter Nally, 65, and his three grandchildren – Raphael, 11, Evita, nine, and Philomena, six – died after the light plane Peter was flying crashed near Canberra about 2.50pm on Friday.
“There are no words to describe the grief our family is feeling at this time,” Nally family members said in a brief statement released by NSW Police.
“We are grateful for the overwhelming support we continue to receive from our extended family and friends, as well as the local community.”
Parents Elyse and Dave Smith with their children. Their three eldest children Raphael, Evita and Philomena died in the light plane crash along with their grandfather Peter.
“As we are still coming to terms with our loss, we ask that the media respect our privacy while we grieve and process this tragedy.”
Mr Nally, an experienced pilot from Bunya, Qld, was traveling with his three grandchildren to his daughter Elyse’s home in Armidale, northern NSW, after visiting family in Ainsley, a Canberra suburb.
The Cirrus SR22 light aircraft they were traveling in lost contact with air traffic controllers shortly after taking off from Canberra Airport at 2.30pm.
The chilling audio captured frantic attempts by controllers to contact Mr Nally, without success.
Within minutes the plane crashed, bursting into flames on a rural property near Lake George in the NSW Tablelands.
The vehicle was completely destroyed on impact, killing everyone on board instantly.
Emergency services responded after being called to the scene by a witness who saw flames from the wreckage.
Fire crews managed to put out the flames, but there was no hope for those on board.
Investigations are ongoing into what caused the deadly crash with initial reports suggesting the plane’s integrated parachute system failed to deploy.
Harrowing audio details the last moments of those on board a light aircraft that crashed near Canberra and the desperate efforts of Air Traffic Control to reach them.
Investigators are continuing to investigate what caused the fatal crash. Photo: NCA NewsWire/ Martin Ollman
The crash happened near Lake George, north of Canberra, about 3pm on Friday.
“Over the coming days, investigators with experience in aircraft operations and maintenance will carry out a range of evidence-gathering activities at the site,” the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement on Saturday.
It can take up to 8 weeks for a preliminary disaster report to be published, according to the ATSB.
The plane the family was traveling in was in excellent condition and weather conditions on Friday were ideal for flying, The Daily Telegraph reported.
(tagsTranslate) daily mail(s) news(s) New South Wales