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| ‘Catastrophic engine failure’ likely cause of Melbourne plane crash, 5 on board - Victoria Police | ‘Catastrophic engine failure’ likely cause of Melbourne plane crash, 5 on board - Victoria Police |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A charter plane has crashed into the Direct Factory Outlet shopping mall near Essendon airport in Melbourne with five people on board, according to Victoria Police. | A charter plane has crashed into the Direct Factory Outlet shopping mall near Essendon airport in Melbourne with five people on board, according to Victoria Police. |
| “It appears a light plane, which is a charter flight, has impacted the DFO [Direct Factory Outlet shopping center] at Essendon Fields,” Police Minister Lisa Neville told ABC news. | “It appears a light plane, which is a charter flight, has impacted the DFO [Direct Factory Outlet shopping center] at Essendon Fields,” Police Minister Lisa Neville told ABC news. |
| The incident happened at around 9am local time Tuesday. It’s understood the flight took off at 8:30am from Essendon, which Reuters reports is a small airfield mainly used by light planes, and was bound for King Island. | |
| There have been no reports of fatalities as yet but emergency services are on the scene with early reports indicating up to 10 firetrucks are battling an ongoing blaze at the point of impact, as can be seen from images shared on social media. | There have been no reports of fatalities as yet but emergency services are on the scene with early reports indicating up to 10 firetrucks are battling an ongoing blaze at the point of impact, as can be seen from images shared on social media. |
| Police have confirmed to local media that the pilot was able to send out a distress call, in which he claimed the plane, believed to be a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, a small, twin-turboprop aircraft, was experiencing “catastrophic engine failure.” | Police have confirmed to local media that the pilot was able to send out a distress call, in which he claimed the plane, believed to be a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, a small, twin-turboprop aircraft, was experiencing “catastrophic engine failure.” |
| The shopping center was not due to open until 10am, according to local sources. The Air Operations Unit of the Melbourne Fire Brigade are preparing to deploy an aerial drone to help battle the blaze. | The shopping center was not due to open until 10am, according to local sources. The Air Operations Unit of the Melbourne Fire Brigade are preparing to deploy an aerial drone to help battle the blaze. |
| Debris from the crash has forced the closure of a number of lanes on the nearby Tullamarine Freeway and motorists are urged to avoid the area. “At this stage we do not have information regarding possible casualties. Police currently evacuating area. Please avoid the area,” according to a statement released by Victoria Police. | Debris from the crash has forced the closure of a number of lanes on the nearby Tullamarine Freeway and motorists are urged to avoid the area. “At this stage we do not have information regarding possible casualties. Police currently evacuating area. Please avoid the area,” according to a statement released by Victoria Police. |
| Initial reports on social media speculated that the aircraft was an air ambulance but that has been denied by Ambulance Victoria in a tweet. | Initial reports on social media speculated that the aircraft was an air ambulance but that has been denied by Ambulance Victoria in a tweet. |
| Flights in and out of Melbourne’s main airport have not been affected, a spokeswoman for Airservices Australia told Reuters. | Flights in and out of Melbourne’s main airport have not been affected, a spokeswoman for Airservices Australia told Reuters. |