Four Americans killed as plane crashes in Australia
The pilot was Max Quartermain, owner of the charter company Corporate and Leisure Travel.
Three of the passengers were identified as Greg Reynolds De Haven, Russell Munsch and Glenn Garland, who all lived in the Austin, Texas, area.
De Haven’s sister, Denelle Wicht of Alexandria, Minnesota, said her brother survived dangerous work in the FBI and while serving in the U.S. Army during Vietnam only to die while enjoying retirement.
“He managed to get through all of that, to die this way,” Wicht told The Associated Press.
She said De Haven, 70, was “extremely athletic” and at one time aspired to become a pro golfer, but his young family at the time came first. After he retired, De Haven went on the senior pro golf circuit.
De Haven and his wife were part of a larger group that included at least two other couples who were touring Australia over the course of three weeks and intended to also see New Zealand, Wicht said.
She earlier told KXAN-TV in Austin that the men had chartered the flight for a round of golf on an offshore island. Their wives had stayed behind to pursue other interests.
Munsch was a founding partner in the Texas law firm of Munsch Hardt, which said in a statement Tuesday that he litigated some of the most prominent bankruptcy cases in the U.S., including the 2001 bankruptcy proceedings for Houston-based Enron Corp., one of the largest energy companies in the world before its collapse. He would have turned 62 on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, an energy consulting firm in Austin confirmed that Garland, a former CEO and co-founder of the company, was also a victim in the crash.
The plane had just taken off from Melbourne’s second-biggest airport when it crashed into the adjoining mall, officials said. Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane said no one outside the plane was injured.