‘Just dropped off the radar’: Chilling audio captures last moment of grandad, 3 kids before horrific plane crash

Air traffic communications have revealed the chilling moment a plane being flown by a grandad with three kids inside simply ‘dropped off the radar’.

Firefighters extinguished a plane which crashed and burned near Queanbeyan. Credit: 7 NEWS

Chilling audio has captured the moment air traffic controllers attempted to reach a grandad, who was flying a plane with his three kids on board, only to be met with radio silence.

The 65-year-old man, who was an experienced pilot, was on board the four-seater Cirrus SR22 with his grandson, 11, and two granddaughters aged nine and six.

The aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff from Canberra Airport falling to the ground and bursting into flames near Queanbeyan on Friday.

Police, the fire service and paramedics were called to a property on Hadlow Drive, Gundaroo, just ­before 3pm, with police confirming there were no survivors.

Air traffic audio – obtained by The Daily Mail – captured the last audio transmission from the doomed flight as it took off from Canberra.

Emergency services are at the scene. Picture Sam Turner

Referred to as Mike Sierra Foxtrot, the plane is heard replying “copy” as he is cleared for takeoff.

Later in the flight, air traffic controllers tell the pilot to “resume navigation and track direct to Culin”, referring to the navigational waypoint situated north-east of Cullerin, a NSW town located approximately 35 kilometres west of Goulburn.

“Direct, Culin, Mike Sierra Foxtrot,” the pilot is heard replying.

The message appears to be the last to emerge from the pilot until another traffic controller repeatedly asks: “Mike Sierra Foxtrot, this is Canberra approach.”

In the audio clip, there is no response from the grandfather.

It prompts another air traffic controller to respond: “All stations, be advised a flight has just dropped off radar so there may be some delays at the moment until we can get some further instructions.”

The grandfather, from Bunya in Queensland, is said to have hundreds of hours of flying experience.

The 21-year-old Cirrus SR22, registration VH-MSF, was flying from Canberra to Armidale just after 2.30pm when it lost altitude about 12 minutes into the flight.

Flight radar tracking data had shown the single-engine plane reached a height of 3000m at 2.48pm before losing speed and crashing near Gundaroo, north of Canberra.

The Rural Fire Service extinguished the blaze and police established a crime scene.

The crashed plane was registered to Up N Up Aviation, a company owned by Mike Cahill. Mr Cahill is president of the Redcliffe Aero Club, which was aware of the fatal crash but not in a position to comment on Friday evening.

NSW Police were contacting next of kin.

It was likely to be weeks before the identity of those on board was officially confirmed due to the horrific nature of the crash.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data shows the plane reached a maximum ground speed of 137 knots at 2.43pm before it began to lose speed and reduced to 94 knots at 2.44pm, but continued to climb another 455m.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau confirmed an investigation had been launched and safety investigators were expected at the site on Friday night

A statement from the bureau said investigators would also seek to 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.

It asked anyone who may have seen the accident, or may have video footage of the aircraft in any phase of its flight, to make contact via the bureau’s website.

A preliminary report was expected to be released in about six to eight weeks.
– Additional reporting from Blake Antrobus, Angus McIntyre