Two killed in light plane crash near Australia’s Gold Coast video

Two men have died after a small aircraft crashed in bushland near Australia’s Gold Coast, triggering a major bushfire.

According to foreign media, emergency services were called to Heck Field, a private airstrip north of the Gold Coast, shortly after 6 a.m. on January 27, when the light plane went down in nearby vegetation soon after taking off. The impact caused the wreckage to burst into flames, which quickly spread and ignited a large fire about 500 metres from the airstrip.

Police said the victims were a 73-year-old pilot from Beenleigh in Queensland and a male passenger believed to be from Sydney. They were the only people on board the single-engine aircraft, which had been bound for a town near Tamworth in New South Wales.

Superintendent Brett Jackson said the crash was so severe that neither man survived.

By late Tuesday morning, a thick column of smoke was visible from kilometres away as around 50 emergency personnel worked at the scene. Access proved difficult for ambulance, police and fire crews because of the surrounding farmland and a nearby creek.

Water-bombing aircraft were deployed to help contain the bushfire, which was burning through cane fields and surrounding vegetation. State Emergency Service teams also assisted by transporting equipment, including forensic tools, across the creek to reach the crash site.

Authorities said it was too early to determine what caused the crash. As part of the investigation, the pilot’s flight history and details of the planned journey from the private airstrip will be examined.

Jackson confirmed that the intended destination was a small town outside Tamworth, adding that the purpose of the trip would also form part of the inquiry.

By Tamilla Hasanova