Three killed in plane crash at NSW's Shellharbour Airport with victims having 'no chance of being saved'
Emergency services respond to a plane crash around 10am on Saturday at Shellharbour Airport. (ABC News)
In short:
Three people have died in a light aircraft crash on Saturday morning at Shellharbour Airport, south of Wollongong.
The plane was seconds into a planned flight to the NSW town of Bathurst when the crash occurred.
What's next?
Investigations will be conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and NSW Police.
Three people have died in a plane crash at Shellharbour Airport in NSW's Lake Illawarra area.
About 10am on Saturday, emergency services responded to reports of an aircraft crash at Shellharbour Airport, 20 kilometres south of Wollongong.
Officers from Lake Illawarra Police District were informed that a Piper Cherokee Lance light aircraft crashed shortly after take-off.
Chief Inspector Aaron Wunderlich said the private plane was intending to fly to Bathurst in the state's central west.
"The plane has taken off from the tarmac and has gotten about 30 metres into the air," Inspector Wunderlich said.
"At that point, witnesses described the aircraft has then dipped with its left wing coming down and contacting the tarmac."
The plane caught on fire after hitting the ground, killing all three people on board.
Police confirmed the owner of the plane was onboard at the time of the crash.
"It's quite a gruesome scene,"Inspector Wunderlich said.
Inspector Aaron Wunderlich from Lake Illawarra Police Department said the crash was "quite a gruesome scene." (ABC News: Penny Burfitt)
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Inspector Andrew Barber said a local Rural Fire Service unit was at the airport doing training at the time of the crash.
Around 10-15 RFS volunteers responded to the crash, along with people involved with the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Museum, which is located at the airport.
"They were on the scene within minutes," Inspector Barber said.
"However, due to the nature of the combustion of fuel, the occupants had no chance of being saved."
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the crash had happened within seconds of the airplane taking off.
"There was a very short time period between the actual taxiing and take-off and when the accident occurred," he said.
"It is fair to assume something has gone wrong very quickly as that aircraft has just left the ground."
ATSB investigators from Canberra and Melbourne had been deployed and were expected to reach the site on Saturday afternoon.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said this was the fourth fatal accident they had investigated in two weeks. (ABC News)
Mr Mitchell said it was too early to know the cause of the crash, but that the ATSB would examine all data, including the plane's maintenance logs and the weather conditions.
"It will take us quite some time to get a better picture of what went wrong," he said.
"This is the fourth fatal accident that the ATSB has investigated in the last two weeks alone."