The three people who died in a light plane crash in the Somerset region, west of Brisbane, have been identified as millionaire businessman Tom Strachan, his son Noah and pilot Garry Liehm.
The successful agri-business mogul, 48, his 20-year-old son and the 63-year-old Gold Coast pilot were all killed on Monday when the plane came down in dense bushland near Fernvale.
The alarm was raised after the Cessna aircraft failed to return to Archerfield Airport around 2:40pm.
Police said preliminary information indicated the aircraft departed Dalby about 9am yesterday and was due to land at Archerfield about 10am.
Police discovered the wreckage in dense bushland during an aerial search on Monday afternoon and all three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Strachan was a prominent business leader in Queensland's agricultural industry and held the positions of chief investment officer and chief storyteller at regenerative agri-business Packhorse.
Packhorse chairman Tim Samway said the company frequently travelled with charter pilot Garry Liehm, who also died in the crash.
Mr Samway said Packhorse was grieving all three men who died.
"We are just devastated by the loss of Tom and his son Noah, along with our pilot Garry. We're a very close family at Packhorse and this is a huge loss," he said.
Mr Samway said Tom Strachan was both a business associate and a close friend.
"Tom was an inspiring entrepreneur, he was extremely generous, everybody he met loved him," he said.
"He had a passion for regenerative agriculture and he started a business that aimed to regenerate two million hectares of Australian land.
"Today our focus is supporting his family and friends by leaving them to grieve privately."
Mr Liehm was chief pilot at Executive Helicopters. The company has expressed its deep sympathy over the deaths of the three men.
"We and the entire flying community are devastated by what has happened. Words cannot express how we feel for both families. Tom has been a regular passenger with Garry and the two had developed a strong friendship," a company spokesperson said.
"Garry had a 40-year and 30,000-hour unblemished safety record in flying fixed wing airplanes and helicopters. He was a highly respected member of the aviation community and his level of focus on aircraft and passenger safety was exemplary.
"The Cessna 182 RG four-seater single engine aircraft was up to date with all maintenance records. The machine logbooks have been quarantined for the investigation being carried out by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Queensland police."
Tributes flow for victims
The Strachan family last year donated half a million dollars to Brisbane Grammar School, where Tom and Noah Strachan both graduated from.
The school has released a statement saying it was "deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Old Boys Tom Strachan and his son Noah".
"Tom graduated from BGS in 1990 and Noah graduated from BGS in 2019," Acting Headmaster David Carroll said.
"Our thoughts are with the Strachan family. We will support them in any way possible."
Anthony Lee, whose family runs an agricultural business in Roma, knew the Strachan family.
"Absolutely devastated and in shock really. They were a lovely family," he said.
"Tom was an absolute inspiration he was a go-getter, so positive and such a live wire and you always feel upbeat and so energised around him.
"Noah was a lovely person, lovely bloke with the world at his fingertips and just devastated, devastated for his family."
Other friends of the family have remembered the father and son on social media.
On Facebook, Elizabeth Corfe said Tom Strachan was a "vibrant force".
"We have known Tom since he was a boy and he was always a vibrant force, destined to make a big mark on the world around him," she wrote.
"Heartfelt condolences to the family. A huge loss, losing not only Tom but his son Noah with so much of his life ahead of him."
In another post, Lionel Desmond described Mr Strachan as "a skilled horseman, great bloke and down to earth great human".
Business associate Lisa Brassington said Tom Strachan was a leader in the agriculture industry.
"An emerging Ag business connection and industry friendship gone too soon," she said.
A filmmaker who worked with Mr Strachan and Packhorse was heartbroken when he learned of the deaths this morning.
"He was larger than life, a captivating storyteller and a people person," he said.
A floral tribute with a beer has been left for Garry Liehm at an Archerfield business, reading "We love you Garry".
The Tara Festival of Culture and Camel Races posted a tribute to Mr Liehm on Facebook.
"We are sad to learn of the tragic passing of Garry Leihm, who many of our festival attendees will remember as our friendly helicopter pilot at Tara Festival," the statement said.
"Garry gave so much joy to many of us during the last three festivals as we flew with him over Tara. We will remember him with sincere thanks for all the happiness and lovely memories he left us with."
Investigators consider 'a number of factors'
Queensland police Inspector Mick Thiesfield said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.
"At this stage our primary focus is obviously with respect to safe removal of persons that are actually on that aircraft and then ensuring the scene security, so we can get an accurate picture of what happened with the assistance of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau," he said.
"The aircraft is displaced — it's over a period of some distance — and it's going to take quite some time, obviously, to put those parts together and then they'll [ATSB] have to reconstruct the aircraft to try to determine what happened."
Inspector Thiesfield said there was no record of any communication from the plane before it crashed that would indicate the trio were in trouble.
Australian Transport and Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said investigators were collecting evidence from the accident site, along with weather information, witness reports and maintenance records.
"There's a lot that goes into our investigations, what we're doing on site now and for the next couple of the days will be quite crucial," Mr Mitchell said.
"There's a number of factors that we'll be looking at here from the aircraft itself, from the pilot but equally the weather conditions – all of those things will be part of the investigation as we try to build a picture of what were the circumstances at the time."
Mr Mitchell said the investigation was complex and officials were dealing with bad weather and accessibility issues.
Investigators are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the aircraft travelling through the Fernvale or Lowood area after 9am, or heard a plane flying low, to come forward.
'I didn't think anything of it'
Michael Heatherington owns a property near the crash site and said he heard power changes in the engine of the Cessna while it was overhead.
"Until there was a few more aircraft turned up, I didn't think anything of it because we often hear them scooting above the hills here," he said.
"A friend of ours sent me a message enquiring as to how we were going out here and that's how I found out.
"It's sad to hear about."
Mr Mitchell said it was the 14th aviation accident in Australia this year.
A preliminary report is due within two months.
