
Dashcam footage has captured the final moments of a doomed charter plane before it plunged into a shopping centre next to Melbourne's Essendon Airport.

Five people were on board the Beechcraft charter plane bound for King Island, Tasmania, when the aircraft crashed on Tuesday about 9am.

Max Quartermain, 63, a pilot from Melbourne who owns Corporate and Leisure Aviation with his wife Cilla, is believed to have been flying the aircraft at the time.

Greg De Haven, 70, a retired FBI agent from Texas, is also thought to have died in the crash along with two friends during a 'once in a lifetime trip' to Australia, according to posts on social media.

Russell Munsch, 62, who was also from Texas and a founding partner of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr law firm, has been named among the dead by relatives.

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Max Quartermain, 63, is believed to have been flying when the plane crashed. He owns charter company Corporate and Leisure Aviation alongside wife Cilla

Greg De Haven, 70 (left), a retired FBI agent from Texas, was also killed in the crash alongside two friends as the trio flew to King Island, in Tasmania, to play golf on an exclusive course

It is believed successful entrepreneur Glenn Garland (pictured), from Austin, Texas, was among those killed in the crash

Russell Munsch, a Texas lawyer and founding member of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr law firm, also died in the crash

The plane crashed into the Direct Factory Outlet shopping centre and caused explosions of fireballs, witnesses said

The plane suffered 'catastrophic engine failure' shortly after takeoff, according to emergency workers, and the pilot put in mayday calls before crashing into the Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) shopping centre

Firefighters have been battling the blaze next to Essendon Airport in Melbourne's north

'There is constant explosions going off, there is black smoke billowing into the sky,' one caller told 3AW on Tuesday

Dashcam footage from a motorist on Melbourne's Tullamarine Freeway has captured the the Beechcraft charter plane with five on board before it crashed into a discount shopping centre from Essendon Airport

The charter plane crashed off the runway into DFO at Essendon Airport. The intended flight path is pictured inset

It is believed successful entrepreneur Glenn Garland, from Austin, Texas, was among those killed in the crash, the Herald Sun reported.

Mr Garland posted to Facebook regularly about his golfing trip.

His wife was also on the trip, but not on the plane, and is believed to still be in Melbourne.

Mr Garland was the former CEO of energy consulting company CLEAResult.

It is thought the two men lived in the exclusive gated community of Spicewood, close to Austin in Texas, which is home to a number of golf and country clubs.

Their wives were travelling with them and are understood to have planned a trip to Great Ocean Road while their husbands went to King Island to play golf.

Tullamarine Freeway was closed to traffic while investigators collected debris as evidence from the lanes

A tyre is pictured on Tullamarine Freeway, believed to be from the chartered plane

The group had already played Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne golf courses on Sunday and Monday.

Before Australia, they had visited New Zealand where they played the country’s most expensive and premier golf course, Tara Iti, the Herald Sun reports.

Denelle Wicht, Mr De Haven's sister, wrote: 'Dear friends and family, my handsome athletic big brother was killed today in a plane accident while on his "once in a lifetime " trip to Australia.

'It was a charter flight with two of his friends flying to another island to play golf.'

Mr Garland's company CLEAResult said staff were 'heartbroken' to hear of his death.

'Glenn was an inspirational leader who co-founded our company with a unique vision for the vast potential of the energy efficiency industry. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with his family during this difficult time,' CLEAResult told Daily Mail Austrlia in a statement.

Co-Founder & Board Member Jim Stimmel said Mr Garland was 'more than a colleague'.

'He was a visionary and a close friend. I am devastated to hear of his passing and my heart and thoughts are with his family. We have all lost an incredible man. I am blessed to have known and worked closely with Glenn for many years,' he said in a statement.

The other passengers have yet to be identified, though nobody on board survived the crash. No one else is believed to have been injured. Unconfirmed reports say two bodies have been retrieved.

In a statement, a U.S. embassy spokesman said: 'We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died in today's tragic crash.

Firefighters are pictured at the scene of the DFO shopping centre in Melbourne's north

Scene pictured on Tuesday morning as firefighters battle the blaze at the DFO shopping centre

'We can confirm four U.S. citizens were on board the flight. The U.S. Embassy in Canberra and U.S. Consulate in Melbourne are working closely with local authorities.

We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance to the families of the victims.'

Repeated explosions, plumes of flame and a pall of thick black smoke could be seen billowing from the airport in Melbourne's north as dozens of firefighters battled the blaze on Tuesday, closing off the busy Tullamarine Freeway.

The plane suffered 'catastrophic engine failure' shortly after takeoff, according to emergency workers, and the pilot put in mayday calls before crashing into the Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) shopping centre.

King Island is a popular destination for golfers, with two of its courses ranked in the top two in Australia.

Cape Wickham Links, one of three golf courses on the island, said everyone it had been expecting on Tuesday had already turned up.

'Corporate and Leisure Travel were using that plane…we do own it but we were not involved in that flight this morning,' Mr Nikolovski said.

Spotlight store has done a head count and all 20 staff have reportedly been accounted for

The shopping centre was not due to open until 10am and only skeletal staff were there at the time

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Corporate and Leisure Travel and the U.S. Embassy in Canberra.

The shopping centre was not due to open until 10am and only skeletal staff were there at the time.

Spotlight store has done a head count and all 20 staff have been accounted for, Nine News reported.

'It hit the warehouse dispatch area at the back of the store. We can't confirm if anyone was in that area at the time but no staff were injured. They were taken away for counselling,' the Spotlight manager said.

Passerby Peter Scullin told The Age the scenes were like 'special effects' in a movie.

'The ball of flame went 30 or 40 feet into the air. We got out to see whether the outside of the car had had any paint blistering,' he told the paper.

'And we thought "My God, how lucky are we that we are still here?". We both looked at each other and thought that was the closest to death we are going to come.'

A wheel ended up on the Tullamarine Freeway, and the lanes were closed so investigators could preserve debris that landed on the road.

Fire crews are pictured at the crash site on Tuesday after a charter plane smashed into the DFO shopping centre about 9am

The Tullamarine Freeway has been closed to traffic, though outbound lanes have reopened

Explosions of fireballs and huge plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the airport in the city's north on Tuesday morning after a charter plane crashed about 9am

Smoke can be seen billowing from the site shortly after 9am on Tuesday

CityLink said inbound roads between M80 Ring Road and Moreland Road remained closed but outbound lanes had reopened about 11am.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Premier Daniel Andrews said it was the worst civil aviation accident Victoria has seen in 30 years.

Authorities are reaching out to families of those killed in the accident.

Premier Andrews thanked the emergency crews that responded to the incident, and extended sympathy and best wishes to all those affected.

Assistant Police Commissioner Stephen Leane said: 'At this stage it looks like nobody has survived the crash.'

A fire crew of 90 people hosed down the side of the DFO building and the charred remains of the plane.

A large exclusion zone was in place keeping media and the public away from the DFO.

ABC radio caller Jason was in a taxi when he looked out the window and saw what he thought was a twin-propeller plane.

'I saw this plane coming in really low and fast. It went just behind the barriers so I couldn't see the impact but when it hit the building there was a massive fireball,' he told ABC 774.

An aircraft has crashed near a runway at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, reports say

The charter flight was a five-seater heading to Essendon Airport

'I could feel the heat through the window of the taxi, and then a wheel, it looked like a plane wheel, bounced on the road and hit the front of the taxi as we were driving along.

'We kept driving and there was big fireball behind us.'

Witness Carmel Brown told AAP there was a huge explosion when the plane went down.

'There was a big crash and then a big red fireball, like a mushroom,' she said.

On Instagram, a worker at Essendon Airport said she was 'shaken'.

'I'm feeling very human, vulnerable and contemplative. I took this pic on my regular lunchtime walk and DFO is at the end of the runway,' the woman wrote on Instagram.

'If the plane had taken off in the other direction my office could have been hit.'

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten tweeted the scenes from Essendon were 'horrific'.

Witnesses reported seeing fireballs at the shopping centre. Firefighters are on site

Tullamarine Freeway is closed both ways as firefighters battle the blaze

About 20 Spotlight staff were in the store at the time of the crash. They have all been accounted for

Spotlight staff are pictured at the scene after a charter plane crashed into the shopping centre

A State Government spokesperson said that a Beechcraft five-person charter flight to King Island crashed soon after take-off about 9:00am

'Hard to fathom [how] such an ordinary morning could turn so tragic,' he said.

Another said there were constant explosions.

'There is constant explosions going off, there is black smoke billowing into the sky,' one caller told 3AW.

Police superintendent Mick Frewen said the fire was still burning so investigators had been unable to get inside to determine the damage.

The plane hit a storage area at the back of a JB Hi-Fi and a Focus on Furniture store, he told reporters.

'I could feel the heat through the window of the taxi, and then a wheel, it looked like a plane wheel, bounced on the road and hit the front of the taxi as we were driving along

Melbourne Fire Brigade's Air Operations Unit preparing to launch RPAS (drone) to assist crews on the ground at DFO incident near

Firefighters are pictured at the scene on Tuesday morning after a five-seater charter plane crashed into a shopping centre

Emergency services are pictured at the wreckage after a plane crashed into the DFO shopping centre

Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident and is urging witnesses to call 1800 020 616.

The ATSB is investigating the collision with terrain involving B200 King Air registered VH-ZCR, a statement said.

Four ATSB investigators have been deployed and are expected to arrive on site this afternoon.

The investigators will assume responsibility for the secured site, once it has been made safe.

EYEWITNESS RECOUNTS THE INCIDENT Ash Mayer, 27, who works at Good Guys, said: 'We've always commented on the fact sometimes those planes come right over the top of buildings - you know, one day it's going to come down. 'Sadly, unfortunately, that's happened.' Describing the crash, Mr Mayer added: 'We were coming up the off-ramp and we just felt this massive explosion, like the whole car shook and everything. 'The guys in the warehouse felt it as well… Everything just shook. We saw this fireball go up into the air and we jumped out of the car. 'It was something you have never felt before, the explosion was so loud. One guy described it as an atomic bomb going off - it felt like that at the time. 'If you hadn't told me what it was then I would have said it was a bomb.' Ash Mayer, 27, who works at Good Guys, said: 'We've always commented on the fact sometimes those planes come right over the top of buildings - you know, one day it's going to come down' Advertisement

A firefighter is pictured on Tuesday morning as crews fight the blaze. Damage has not yet been assessed

Tullamarine Freeway has been closed off to preserve debris for investigation

Smoke can be seen at the DFO outlet shopping centre in north Melbourne

A burnt insulation blanket is pictured at a park, across a freeway about 100 metres from the DFO shopping centre where the charter plane crashed

DFO Essendon posted to Facebook to confirm the shopping centre would be closed until further notice.

'Vicinity Centres is working with Essendon Fields and Victorian emergency services who are currently coordinating and managing the immediate response to this incident, and the centre is currently closed until further notice,' the Facebook post said about 10.30am on Tuesday.

'The thoughts of all at Vicinity Centres are first and foremost for the safety and welfare of those impacted in this incident.'

Essendon Airport said the incident occurred on departure from Runway 17.

'Emergency Services have taken control of the situation and Essendon Airport is supporting their response,' a spokesperson for the airport said in a statement.

Earlier reports said the plane was an Air Ambulance aircraft, but Ambulance Victoria confirmed it was not one of its aircraft.

Firefighters are pictured at the scene of the crash site where at least five people are believed to be dead

Debris is pictured at the scene of the accident at Essendon Airport in Melbourne's north

Fire crews are pictured at the scene of the incident on Tuesday

There were 90 firefighters responding to the blaze, Premier Daniel Andrews said in a press conference about 12.15pm Tuesday

All 20 Spotlight staff there at the time have been accounted for

The Direct Factory Outlet shopping centre went up in flames when the chartered flight smashed into it

Outbound lanes on the Tullamarine Freeway were reopened according to a CityLink update at 11am. Lanes were closed so investigators could preserve debris that landed on the road

Fire crew are pictured at the scene where a charter plane crashed into the back of the DFO shopping centre

The DFO building next to Essendon Airport in Melbourne's north is pictured

A helicopter is pictured as smoke billowed from the crash site

Tullamarine Freeway was closed off as investigators took debris as evidence

A stock photo of the plane that crashed into the DFO shopping centre is pictured on a separate occasion

A stock photo of the Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) shopping centre next to the Essendon Airport in north Melbourne

Spotlight employees comfort one another after the plane crashed into their store at DFO shopping centre

Spotlight employees comfort each other at the scene of the crash on Tuesday

All 20 Spotlight employees at the store at the time have been accounted for and are safe

Employees of a local business embrace at the scene on Tuesday

DFO Essendon posted to Facebook to confirm the incident

The crash appears to have caused a fire with smoke billowing from the site in Melbourne

Firefighters are pictured at the scene of the accident on Tuesday morning

The site is pictured on Tuesday morning after a charter plane crashed into the DFO shopping centre

Police, firefighters and paramedics are at the scene on Tuesday

Emergency crews are pictured at the scene at Essendon shops in Melbourne's north on Tuesday