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| Plane Crashes Into Australian Mall, Killing Pilot and 4 Americans | Plane Crashes Into Australian Mall, Killing Pilot and 4 Americans |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A small plane crashed into a shopping mall in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday, killing four American tourists along with the pilot, the police said. | |
| The private charter plane crashed about 9 a.m. local time, just after takeoff from Essendon Fields Airport and slammed into a building in the complex, the Direct Factory Outlet, which is adjacent to the airport, the police said. | |
| No one was injured in the mall in suburban Essendon; the crash occurred about 45 minutes before the shops were to open, the police said. | |
| The passengers were on their way from Melbourne, in the southeastern state of Victoria, to King Island, a golf and resort island that is part of Tasmania, about 160 miles to the south, the police said. | The passengers were on their way from Melbourne, in the southeastern state of Victoria, to King Island, a golf and resort island that is part of Tasmania, about 160 miles to the south, the police said. |
| Before crashing, the pilot called in a “mayday,” and the plane was believed to have had a catastrophic engine failure, the Victoria police superintendent, Michael Frewen, said at a news conference. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the cause of the crash, the police said. | Before crashing, the pilot called in a “mayday,” and the plane was believed to have had a catastrophic engine failure, the Victoria police superintendent, Michael Frewen, said at a news conference. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the cause of the crash, the police said. |
| A total of five people were onboard the twin-engine Beechcraft Super King Air that crashed, Police Minister Lisa Neville said at another news conference, according to local news reports. | A total of five people were onboard the twin-engine Beechcraft Super King Air that crashed, Police Minister Lisa Neville said at another news conference, according to local news reports. |
| A witness told ABC Radio Melbourne that he had been in a taxi when he saw the plane coming in low and fast. | A witness told ABC Radio Melbourne that he had been in a taxi when he saw the plane coming in low and fast. |
| “The plane was coming way, way fast,” he said. “I thought, that’s faster than normal. It looked like it hit the building. There was a massive fireball. I could feel the heat through the window.” | “The plane was coming way, way fast,” he said. “I thought, that’s faster than normal. It looked like it hit the building. There was a massive fireball. I could feel the heat through the window.” |
| A police spokeswoman in Victoria declined by telephone to identify the names of the victims, citing department policy. A U.S. State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, confirmed in an emailed statement that four American citizens had been on the flight, but gave no further details. | A police spokeswoman in Victoria declined by telephone to identify the names of the victims, citing department policy. A U.S. State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, confirmed in an emailed statement that four American citizens had been on the flight, but gave no further details. |
| The names of passengers, however, have been dribbling out. One was a retired Federal Bureau of Investigations agent, Greg Reynolds De Haven, 70, according to Denelle Wicht, who said she was his sister. Ms. Wicht wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday that he had been on a “once in a lifetime” trip to Australia with friends to play golf. | The names of passengers, however, have been dribbling out. One was a retired Federal Bureau of Investigations agent, Greg Reynolds De Haven, 70, according to Denelle Wicht, who said she was his sister. Ms. Wicht wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday that he had been on a “once in a lifetime” trip to Australia with friends to play golf. |
| Ms. Wicht said in a telephone interview that her brother had been from Spicewood, Tex., and had retired after working as an agent for the F.B.I. for 30 years. | Ms. Wicht said in a telephone interview that her brother had been from Spicewood, Tex., and had retired after working as an agent for the F.B.I. for 30 years. |
| Another passenger was identified as Russell L. Munsch, a Texas lawyer, according to Meredith Plunketta, spokeswoman for his law firm. Mr. Munsch would have been 62 on Feb. 22, Ms. Plunkett said in an email. | Another passenger was identified as Russell L. Munsch, a Texas lawyer, according to Meredith Plunketta, spokeswoman for his law firm. Mr. Munsch would have been 62 on Feb. 22, Ms. Plunkett said in an email. |
| Mr. Munsch oversaw one of the largest personal bankruptcy cases in American history when he represented Nelson Bunker Hunt, a Texas oil tycoon who once tried to corner the world’s silver market only to lose most of his fortune after the price collapsed, The Times reported in 1989. | Mr. Munsch oversaw one of the largest personal bankruptcy cases in American history when he represented Nelson Bunker Hunt, a Texas oil tycoon who once tried to corner the world’s silver market only to lose most of his fortune after the price collapsed, The Times reported in 1989. |
| Another victim was identified in Australian media as Glenn Garland, a former chief executive of CLEAResult, an energy efficiency company based in Austin, Tex. The company confirmed in an email that he was one of those killed. | Another victim was identified in Australian media as Glenn Garland, a former chief executive of CLEAResult, an energy efficiency company based in Austin, Tex. The company confirmed in an email that he was one of those killed. |
| Mr. Garland wrote on his Facebook page on Monday that he had been playing golf in Melbourne over the weekend. During his travels in New Zealand and Australia, he wrote that he was not a fan of small planes. | Mr. Garland wrote on his Facebook page on Monday that he had been playing golf in Melbourne over the weekend. During his travels in New Zealand and Australia, he wrote that he was not a fan of small planes. |
| The name of the fourth American victim was not immediately available. | The name of the fourth American victim was not immediately available. |
| The pilot was identified by The Associated Press as Max Quartermain, who operated a company called Corporate and Leisure Aviation with his wife, Cilla, according to the firm’s website. Calls and emails to the company were not immediately answered on Tuesday. | The pilot was identified by The Associated Press as Max Quartermain, who operated a company called Corporate and Leisure Aviation with his wife, Cilla, according to the firm’s website. Calls and emails to the company were not immediately answered on Tuesday. |