Melbourne plane crash: Wives of victims learned about disaster by traffic delays

The wives of the four American victims of Tuesday’s Melbourne plane crash learned about the tragedy when they heard about traffic delays. Dennelle Wicht, the sister of Greg De Haven, said the wives of the tourists were going to a shopping centre when they learned about the disaster.

Seventy-year-old De Haven was on the private plane along with his friends, Russell Munsch, Glenn Garland and John Washburn. The incident occurred at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The pilot, Max Quartermain, made two mayday calls when the plane took off from Essendon Airport. The plane crashed into the rear of DFO Essendon, near the Spotlight and Focus on Furniture shops.

“The wives were going to go shopping while the men went to go play golf and they knew something strange was going on because of the traffic and what was going on around the airport … they knew something was terribly wrong,” Wicht said, speaking with the Age.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the crash. The cause of the crash is being believed to be a “catastrophic engine failure.” One of the members of the investigative team said on Wednesday that the plane should have withstood a single engine failure.

The victims were on a trip to New Zealand and Australia. They were headed to play golf on King Island when the disaster occurred.

Wicht paid tribute to her “handsome, athletic big brother,” adding that De Haven was “thrilled” about the trip. “He told me about this wonderful trip all set up with all his friends,” Wicht said.

De Haven, who was a former FBI agent and US army veteran, “liked to keep active,” Wicht said. “He loved the water, loved being outside, trained for a long time to be in a triathlalon,” she said. “My heart is broken. That’s how both my sister and I feel. He was our big brother.”

Wicht said De Haven had three children and six grandchildren. “They were all together at Christmas time,” she said. “I’m sure that was a blessing they had that time together before he was gone.”

De Haven’s wife and others were being asked to stay in Melbourne for assistance in investigations. “[De Haven’s wife] said how much they appreciated the support from the consulate and that everyone is doing their best to help them. They so appreciate the kindness they’ve been shown there in Australia,” Wicht said.