5 die as aircraft smashes into shopping complex in Australia

Melbourne, February 21

Four Americans and an Australian pilot were killed today when a light aircraft crashed into a shopping centre here after a “catastrophic engine failure”.

The twin-engine aircraft — heading to Tasmania’s King Island — came in “low and fast” and hit the Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) in Essendon in the state of Victoria. State Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the number of deaths and described it as the state’s worst air accident in three decades.

The US embassy has confirmed that four passengers on the plane were US citizens. They were going to King Island to play golf.

The local media named the pilot as 63-year-old Max Quartermain. He had decades of flying experience and an “impeccable safety record”.

The DFO was not open at the time and authorities do not believe staff members were killed in the incident. Police and paramedics rushed to the crash site, where firefighters doused the flames.

Victorian Police Assistant commissioner Stephen Leane said it was fortunate more people did not lose their lives in this “catastrophic” event. “It was a catastrophic plane crash that I think has taken a number of lives,” he said.

“But certainly if we look at the circumstances, we have been very lucky today, depending on the time of day and who was around,” he said. Victoria police superintendent Mick Frewen said investigations centered on a “catastrophic engine failure”. — PTI