Victoria Police have confirmed the deaths of five people after a helicopter crashed in Mount Disappointment yesterday morning, in what is being described as one of Australia’s worst-ever aviation disasters.
It’s believed the chartered helicopter had taken off from Moorabbin Airport before picking up passengers in Batman Park, Melbourne about 7am, before crashing just after 9am.
The flight was destined for Ulupna, located in northern Victoria. The four passengers were believed to be farmers who were heading north to Ulupna near the Victorian-NSW border as part of a business trip to purchase cattle.
Police Air Wing located the wreckage in the vicinity of Blair’s Hut about 11.45am on Thursday.
Sadly, the pilot and four passengers died at the scene.
They victims were:
– A 32-year-old man from Cheltenham, Victoria
– A 50-year-old woman from Inverloch, Victoria
– A 73-year-old man from Albert Park, Victoria
– A 59-year-old man from New South Wales
– A 70-year-old man from New South Wales
“The search and rescue operation is being supported by SES and DELWP including the assistance in clearing a path to the crash site with bulldozers and an excavator,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
“The exact cause of the crash is yet to be determined and will be investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).”
