Australian family killed in US plane crash lost lives within minutes of take-off, report finds

An Australian family killed in a plane crash in the United States earlier this month lost their lives within minutes of takeoff, a preliminary report has found.

Christian Kath, 42, and his wife Misty Kath, 43, were flying with their teenage daughter Lily when their plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico on December 3.

The family was living in St Petersburg in Florida but previously lived in Queensland.

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In a preliminary probe of the light plane crash, the National Transportation Safety Bureau found that the aircraft lifted from the runway at about 19.34.44pm and by 19.38:00pm, it had travelled over the Gulf of Mexico before crashing into the water.

The report noted dark night conditions were in place at the time of the accident.

It also found there were "no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation" of the plane's engine.

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Airport surveillance video from the time of the accident also depicted the plane departing the runway with little to no angle of ascent into a dark sky over dark water with no discernable horizon.