Melbourne plane crash

"At this stage the advice we have is there are no fatalities other than on the aircraft itself," said Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane.

The charter flight appeared to have had "catastrophic engine failure" on take-off from Melbourne's small Essendon Airport, he said.

The centre was not open at the time.

Victoria's Police Minister Lisa Neville said the five people were travelling to Tasmania's King Island, in nearby Bass Strait.

A State Government spokesperson said the Beechcraft five-person charter flight to King Island crashed soon after take-off at 9am (11am NZ time).

The pilot called mayday as the plane was taking off. Victoria Police Superintendent Mick Frewen said it appeared to be affected by a "catastrophic engine failure".

The plane crashed into the back of two shops, Focus on Furniture and JB Hi Fi, he said.

A spokeswoman for the outlet's Spotlight store said part of that store's warehouse and dispatch area was also hit.