Three people have died after a light plane crashed and caught on fire at Shellharbour Airport on Saturday.
"In all my time as a police officer I've never been to an aviation incident like this."
About 10am on Saturday, October 11, witnesses watched the Piper Cherokee Lance aircraft take off and get about 30 metres into the air before crashing.
Lake Illawarra police district's chief inspector Aaron Wunderlich described the incident as a "very tragic" event.
Author's summary: Three dead in Shellharbour plane crash.