The light aircraft that crashed into a paddock south of Brisbane, killing a business owner and his daughter, had been fitted out with the comforts of a high-end private plane despite being nearly five decades old.
Built in 1979, the six-seat Beechcraft A36 Bonanza was advertised as offering an “experience like no other” before it was purchased by Queensland charter and aircraft rental company Telford Aviation for $350,000 in 2022.
On Monday, however, the aircraft came down shortly after 11am amid suspected engine trouble, killing 56-year-old Ian Campbell and his 23-year-old daughter, Hannah, in the crash at Chambers Flat, near Logan.
The pair had been airborne for only eight minutes when the flight ended in tragedy. People on the ground said they saw heavy smoke pouring from the engine not long after the plane took off.
Flight data reviewed by the Daily Mail indicated air traffic control at Brisbane’s Archerfield Airport cleared the aircraft for departure at 10.57am, but controllers had difficulty maintaining contact with the plane’s radio, which appeared to be cutting in and out.
The plane then took off, reaching 1,000ft at exactly 11am before a dramatic five-minute descent until it smashed into the field at 11.05am and burst into flames.
The Daily Mail understands Mr Campbell – who owned Barambah Organics and was an experienced flyer of over 25 years – had rented the plane from Telford Aviation.
Public flight records don’t reveal the final destination for the trip. It also appeared to be the aircraft’s first logged flight since July 31.
The charter company bought the plane four years ago from a retired airline pilot who’d flown it around Australia, including numerous flights over water.
The former owner, a retired pilot, said in an advert for the plane’s sale in 2022 that ‘no expense had been spared’ in its renovation and upkeep since he bought it in 2004.
He had fitted a new engine and also ripped out its interior to install luxury private jet-style face-to-face lounge chair seating behind the pilot, and tailored floor coverings.
Ian Campbell, 56, and his 23-year-old daughter Hannah died in the plane crash on Monday
They had rented this single-engine Beechcraft A36 Bonanza light plane (pictured)
The six-seater aircraft was built in 1979 and later kitted out like a private jet in a ‘no expense spared’ renovation by its former owner
‘This aircraft represents a unique, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity to purchase arguably the best series of Bonanza,’ the 2022 listing read.
‘A perfect blend of the shorter, faster and better handling wing with no ugly stall strips, 28-volt electrical system, double doors, club seating, rear cargo stowage and more.
‘They simply don’t make them like this any more.
‘This airframe, paired with the perfect blend of updated avionics while still giving an old school feel, is a joy to fly… There is literally nothing to spend.’
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The aircraft was originally built in the US in 1979 and delivered to Australia the same year on a transpacific ferry flight.
‘The engine has been operated rich of peak for its entire life,’ the listing added.
‘The aircraft has never been used for circuits, practice engine failure simulations or any training for that matter…
‘It has always been thoroughly warmed and cooled down, almost never operated for less than a 60-minute cruise at recommended RPM.’
The aircraft’s service record and flight history will now be a focus of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s investigation into the crash.
It is unclear if any mayday radio calls were made before the crash, and witnesses reported hearing the plane’s engine struggling with thick smoke billowing into the air.
Online aviation enthusiasts have speculated Mr Campbell may have been trying to make a controlled landing on the grass after an engine failure, but didn’t make it
Footage from the scene showed wreckage strewn across a smouldering blackened paddock
Mr Campbell and his wife Jane (left) had flown together for over 25 years and completed their pilot training together as part of their honeymoon
Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators are now working to determine the cause of the crash (pictured is inside the Beechcraft A36 Bonanza’s cockpit)
ATSB’s Acting Chief Commissioner Colin McNamara said they will likely release a preliminary report into the crash in eight weeks, but a final report could be months away.
‘Three ATSB investigators were on site from Monday afternoon, and they have been examining the aircraft wreckage, including checking for flight control continuity, examining the engine and propeller, and recovering any recording devices – such as avionics equipment or GPS units – for download and analysis at our facilities in Canberra,’ he said.
‘Once the aircraft and engine have been recovered they will also be available to the ATSB for further examination if required.’
Acting Chief Commissioner McNamara also thanked witnesses for providing ‘important information’ to investigators, after a number of people came forward to describe the aircraft’s engine as sounding like it was running rough or spluttering.
The Daily Mail has contacted Telford Aviation’s director for comment.
The Daily Mail does not suggest any wrongdoing by Telford Aviation.
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