Three people are dead after a light plane crashed and caught on fire shortly after take-off at a regional airport.
The aircraft plummeted to the ground soon after departing Shellharbour Airport, south of Sydney, on Saturday morning.
It caught fire upon impact, with the flames extinguished by fire and rescue officers.
Three people were confirmed dead with multiple media reports identifying two as Illawarra builder Andrew Connors and his wife Julieanne.
Witnesses told police the aircraft took off before it "dipped" its left wing and hit the tarmac again, where it was engulfed in flames.
Emergency services were on the scene within minutes, but due to the fire, RFS personnel said it was unlikely anyone would have survived. Source: AAP / ABC
All first responders will be offered welfare support and counselling after attending the scene, Lake Illawarra Police District chief inspector Aaron Wunderlich said.
"It's quite a gruesome scene," he told reporters on Saturday.
"We've got several witnesses that were here, we had RFS on the scene for a training exercise ... also people at the HARS (Aviation) museum have witnessed it and we've got some CCTV that captures part of the incident."
A crime scene has been established and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has begun an investigation.
Newly elected Labor MP for Kiama Katelin McInerney said the news from the airport was devastating.
"My thoughts are with the family and friends of those involved in the crash, as well as the dedicated first responders," she said.
In October 2024, three men died after two light planes collided mid-air, one of which was on its way to the Shellharbour Airport near Wollongong.
The crash sites, covered by bushland, were found near Belimbla Park in Oakdale in southwest Sydney.
The mid-air collision was believed to have occurred in uncontrolled airspace.
