This Day in History: 2017-02-21

Beechcraft B200 King Air aircraft VH-ZCR crashed after taking off from Essendon airport on 21 February 2017. The aircraft was conducting a charter passenger flight from Essendon Airport, Victoria to King Island, Tasmania with four passengers on board. The aircraft’s take-off roll was longer than expected and a yaw to the left was observed after rotation. The aircraft’s track began diverging to the left of the runway centreline before rotation and the divergence increased as the flight progressed. The aircraft entered a shallow climb followed by a substantial left sideslip with minimal roll. The aircraft then began to descend and the pilot transmitted a Mayday call. The aircraft subsequently collided with a building in the Bulla Road Precinct Retail Outlet Centre of Essendon Airport. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and post-impact fire, and all on board were fatally injured. The building was severely damaged and two people on the ground received minor injuries. Source: ATSB website https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/5775076/ao-2017-024_final_v2.pdf