Engine failed to start before plane crash that killed businessman and daughter

A plane’s engine failed to start multiple times less than an hour before it crashed just outside Brisbane, killing its occupants, and witnesses later told investigators they heard spluttering in the moments before it hit the ground.

The Beechcraft A36 Bonanza took off from Archerfield Airport just before 11am on September 7, but came down and erupted in flames on a property on Musch Road in the Logan suburb of Stockleigh minutes later.

Barambah Organics founder Ian Campbell and his daughter Hannah were the only occupants.

They had been planning to fly to St George, about 400 kilometres west of Brisbane.

A preliminary report on the crash released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Tuesday did not include official findings, but contained evidence suggesting the aircraft’s engine might have failed.

Several attempts were made to start the engine that morning at the airport, before an engineer came over from a nearby hangar to assist with a battery cart.

Witnesses told investigators they saw a plane flying low and spluttering, with one saying it turned and “nosedived” before disappearing behind trees.

The propeller was found to have suffered low rotational damage in the crash. The report said this was indicative of low engine power on impact.

A witness who spoke to the pilot before the flight said they were in a good mood and seemed “fit and well”.

The aircraft was not required to have a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder. It was fitted with instruments capable of recording flight and engine parameters, but these were destroyed in the crash.

Emergency teams came across the 15-metre wreckage site, where the aircraft was relatively intact. It came to rest opposite the direction of flight.

The investigation is continuing.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.