Moment private plane carrying models exploded in fireball

A traffic camera has captured the moment a private plane carrying six people plummeted into a golf course and exploded in a massive fireball.

The Piper PA-24 plane crashed shortly after taking off from nearby Scottsdale Airport in Arizona on April 9, killing everyone on board.

The footage captured the plane about one kilometre northwest of the departure runway making a left turn before descending to the ground.

The National Transpiration Safety Board (NTSB) said the wings were" nearly vertical" before the plane made impact.

Models Mariah Coogan, 23, and Helena Lagos, 22, nightlife promoter Anand 'Happy' Patel, 26, and aspiring pilot James Pedroza, 28, were on board the plane.

The plane was being flown by Eric Valente, 26, and exchange student Iris Carolina Garcia Rodriguez.

The footage captured a massive ball of orange light that emerge in the night sky after it crashed.

"The main cabin was mostly consumed by fire," the NTSB report said.

"The outboard section of the right wing was separated, and in addition to thermal damage, exhibited substantial impact crush damage.

"The inboard section of the right wing remained attached to the body of the aircraft, and the majority of the left wing was found separated."

Locals reported feeling the "ground shake" when the aircraft crashed.

While the cause of the crash has not been revealed, Brent Bowen, a professor at the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told AZ Central weight may have been a factor.

He said fuel levels and the weight of passengers could have skewed the centre of gravity in the plane, causing the catastrophic failure.

Mariah Coogan, who was a model and Instagram 'influencer' from Santa Rosa, California, posted a video of her and Mr  Patel who was known as Happy, on the plane moments before it took off.

Coogan's mother told media after the crash she was a "bright light".

She's been such a great child to have. I mean, she's my first, and her middle name is Sunshine, and she has proven that name because any room she walks into, she smiles and brightens the whole room. I'm going to miss her so much."

Anand 'Happy' Patel, from Oklahoma, also had a big online following.

His twin brother Akash told AZ Central the pair had moved to the US from India to study.

Happy worked as a promotor and had started a clothing label.

He lived a "celebrity life as an Instagram star" his brother told the website.

"My brother was taken away from us doing what he loved to do the most, which was spending time with his friends and flying," Akash Patel said.

The aircraft was built in 1970, according to FAA records, but it has been reported modifications could have been made, extending its seating capacity.