Online fundraising has begun for the family of the grandfather and three young children killed in the light plane crash in private property off Brooks Creek Lane near Gundaroo on Friday.
The children had visited the Canberra Zoo and Aquarium on Thursday and had been returning home to Armidale, with their grandfather at the controls, when the aircraft appears to have nosed-dived suddenly into the ground some 16 minutes after taking off from Canberra Airport.
Killed in the crash of the Cirrus single-engine five-seater SR22 were Raphael, 11, Evita, 9, and six-year-old Philomena Smith, as well as pilot Peter Nally, their grandfather.