A beloved Queensland businessman repeatedly struggled to start his plane and needed a battery cart to get the engine running before witnesses saw thick smoke pouring from it during a flight that ended in a fiery crash, killing him and his da
ughter.
Ian Campbell, 56, and his daughter Hannah, 23, died on September 7 after their Beechcraft A36 Bonanza crashed into a paddock at Chambers Flat, near Logan, sparking a fiery blaze.
They had departed from Brisbane's Archerfield Airport just before 11am and were in the air for just eight minutes before disaster struck, with witnesses reporting thick smoke coming from the engine soon after take-off.
On Tuesday, a preliminary report issued by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found Mr Campbell had difficulties starting the aircraft's engine until an engineer stepped in to assist.
'It was reported that an engineer, working nearby, then assisted to start the engine with a battery cart,' ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said, referring to CCTV from Archerfield Airport.
Witnesses then observed the aircraft flying low during the flight and reported hearing the engine spluttering.
'Flight data showed the aircraft initially climbed to about 1,100 feet,' Mr Mitchell said.
'About four minutes into the flight, it was recorded at 800 feet before descending steadily over the next three minutes.'
Ian Campbell, 56, and his 23-year-old daughter Hannah died in the plane crash in September
The Beechcraft A36 Bonanza crashed into a rural property near Logan
A new report has found Mr Campbell had difficulties starting the engine of the Beechcraft A36 Bonanza light plane (pictured)
The aircraft recorded its last data point near the accident site at an altitude of 284 feet, with a witness stating they saw the aircraft turn and 'nosedive'.
Mr Campbell and Hannah were fatally injured in the crash, and the aircraft was destroyed by a post-impact fire.
According to the ATSB, an onsite wreckage examination found damage to the propeller indicative of a low engine power setting at impact. The landing gear was also assessed to have been extended at impact.
'The report details evidence gathered in the early phases of the ATSB's investigation to be further analysed as the investigation progresses,' Mr Mitchell said.
'Investigators will also conduct a performance assessment of the flight tracking data, and review aircraft maintenance, pilot documentation and training records.'
Mr Campbell, who owned Barambah Organics, appeared 'fit and well' on the morning of the tragedy, according to a witness quoted in the report.
He had also arranged for the aircraft to be refuelled with full tanks that morning.
While the aircraft was not fitted with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, Mr Mitchell said the ATSB would also further analyse available audio recordings of the flight, other recorded data, and available post-mortem information.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said an engineer, working in a nearby hangar, helped the Campbells start the engine with a battery cart
A track of the flight's final patch (provided by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau)
A final report with findings and the ATSB's analysis will be published at the conclusion of the investigation.
'Should any critical safety issues be identified before then, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so timely safety action can be taken,' Mr Mitchell said.
It comes after the Daily Mail revealed that Mr Campbell's wife, Jane, spoke about their shared love of flying in a media interview published just weeks before the tragedy.
'We're probably adrenaline junkies. Flying has been a big part of our married life from the very beginning,' Ms Campbell told the Goondiwindi Argus.
'It's really exciting getting up in the air, even if you're just checking paddocks.
'We love seeing how different the country looks from above, across Beardmore Dam to the Dumaresq and Maranoa rivers. Seeing just how patchy the rain can be is incredible.'
Ms Campbell said the couple learned to fly at Archerfield in 1999 and completed their pilot training together as part of their honeymoon.
In August, the family completed the Kokoda Trail challenge, which Ms Campbell had said she was looking forward to experiencing with Hannah.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash (pictured is inside the Beechcraft A36 Bonanza's cockpit)
'I'm looking forward to walking with Hannah and carving out that time together,' she said before the family set off on the trail.
On Tuesday, family and friends of the Campbells began paying tribute, with one man describing Hannah as an 'angel.'
'Many memories of a beautiful young lady who was always first for breakfast every morning with a smile and radiating energy,' the man said.
'She will be missed by so many who were fortunate enough to have met her. A young lady taken early.'
The Daily Mail understands Mr Campbell had rented the 1979-built, six-seater Beechcraft A36 Bonanza from Telford Aviation.
The charter company bought the plane four years ago from a retired airline pilot who had flown it around Australia, including on numerous flights over water.
The former owner, a retired pilot, said in an advert for the plane's sale in 2022 that 'no expense had been spared' in its renovation and upkeep since he bought it in 2004.
He had fitted a new engine and also ripped out the interior to install luxury, private jet-style face-to-face lounge-chair seating behind the pilot, along with tailored floor coverings.
The aircraft was originally built in the US in 1979 and delivered to Australia the same year on a trans-Pacific ferry flight.
- READ MORE: Eerie interview surfaces about family's love of flying after Barambah Organics founder and his daughter die in plane crash
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