The founder of a popular dairy company and his daughter have died after a light plane crashed at a rural property south of Brisbane, just minutes after takeoff.
The crash happened in the rural area of Stockleigh just after 11am on Monday and sparked a grass fire.
Ascot residents Ian Campbell, 56, and his daughter Hannah, 23, were killed in the light plane crash.
Mr Campbell was the founder of dairy business Barambah Organics and Mañana Pastoral, a farm in the Darling Downs that produces lamb, beef and extra virgin olive oil.
Mr Campbell was a fourth-generation dairy farmer, and founded Barambah Organics alongside his wife Jane in 2002.
Mel Adams, Chief Superintendent District Officer of the Logan District, said the two bodies were found in the aircraft.
Late on Monday afternoon, Superintendent Adams said authorities were trying to piece together what the purpose of the flight was.
“As to what happened while that aircraft was in the air, we have no information at this time,” she said.
“This was quite a confronting scene for our first responders, and it’s only very early in these investigations and we’re still working our way through the intricacies of that investigation with our colleagues at the ATSB.”
“What I would ask is for anybody who heard the aircraft, saw the aircraft in the air before it crashed in the Stockleigh area or over the Chambers Flat area, or anyone that may have witnessed the aircraft hit the ground, to contact us,” Superintendent Adams said.
“It was close to a roadway, so perhaps there is vehicle dashcam footage or something of that nature.
“I can’t say anything else about the flight manifest or the circumstances in which that aircraft was in the air.”
Images show the paddock where the smashed plane came to rest has been blackened.
A Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) spokesman said the two people on-board died at the scene, which multiple ambulances were called to shortly after 11am.
“Crews remained on standby while QFD (Queensland Fire Department) worked to contain a fire resulting from the crash,” the ambulance spokesman said.
“Two occupants of the aircraft were declared deceased at the scene.”
Flight data shows the plane took off from Brisbane’s secondary airport at Archerfield and crashed less than 20 minutes later.
The plane was listed for hourly rental in 2024, although the web page has since been deleted.
Three Brisbane-based Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators have been sent to the scene, the agency said in a statement.
“Once on site from Monday afternoon they will commence evidence-gathering activities including site and wreckage examination, and the recovery of any aircraft components of interest for further examination at the ATSB’s technical facilities in Canberra,” the spokesman said.
The agency wants anyone with footage of the plane to submit the videos to the ATSB website.