‘Legacy to carry on’: family firm’s plane tragedy agony
Lloyd Jones |
Heartfelt tributes and condolences have poured in after a dairy company founder and his daughter died in a light plane crash.
Ian Campbell, 56, and his daughter Hannah, 23, died on Monday morning when the aircraft plunged into a property south of Brisbane, sparking a large grass fire.
The Beech Bonanza aircraft crashed at Stockleigh barely 10 minutes after taking off from Archerfield Airport.
Multiple crews worked to quickly contain the blaze, which burned close to a farmhouse before being brought under control.
Tributes to the father and daughter highlighted the family’s support for their local community and Mr Campbell’s contributions to the agricultural sector.
The fourth-generation dairy farmer founded the Barambah Organics company in Queensland with his wife Jane.
The family also operates Manana Pastoral in the Goondiwindi region, producing olive oil, lamb and beef.
Barambah Organics chief executive Chris Elliott said the company’s 100 or so employees were deeply saddened by the loss and their thoughts were with the Campbell family.
“We’ve just pulled everyone together and had an open forum where we shared our concerns and thoughts, coming together over a morning tea,” he told AAP.
The loss of Mr Campbell was “incredibly sad for the business”, now located in Melbourne, Mr Elliott said.
“He certainly had an impact. His legacy through our brand will carry on.”
Goondiwindi mayor Lawrence Springborg said the family had the support, prayers and goodwill of the community and the pair would be greatly missed.
“We feel their grief deeply and what makes it also so hard is that the Campbell family were so generous in their support of the local community,” he told the ABC.
The Campbell family had raised more than $70,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and invested in agriculture, Mr Springborg noted.
National Farmers’ Federation president Hamish McIntyre said the loss of the father and daughter was an “absolutely heartbreaking tragedy”.
Mr Campbell was a highly respected figure in Australian agriculture and a long-time friend, he said.
“Hannah was a bright young woman with her whole life in front of her.”
Mr McIntyre said his thoughts were with the family, their many friends and everyone touched by “this devastating loss”.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched an investigation into the crash with a three-strong team specialising in aircraft operations, maintenance and engineering sent to the site.
They gathered evidence and examined the site and wreckage on Monday, recovering aircraft components for further examination at the bureau’s technical facilities in Canberra.
“Investigators will also interview any witnesses and involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information,” the bureau said in a statement.
A preliminary report on the crash was set to be published in about eight weeks.
Initial investigations indicated the plane took off at 10.57am.
About 11.10am, emergency services were called to the property following reports of a plane crash and grass fire.
“As to what happened whilst that aircraft was in the air, we have no information at this time,” Chief Superintendent Mel Adams told reporters on Monday.
“It was a very confronting scene, as you can imagine.”
Crews arrived and found plane debris scattered on the property and flames racing across an area about 300m by 400m, authorities said.
Multiple crews worked to quickly contain the blaze, which burned close to a farmhouse before being brought under control.
Anyone with vision of the crash or who saw the aircraft in the lead-up to the tragedy was urged to contact police.
AAP