Newcastle Jets women’s player Rhali Dobson narrowly missed the light plane crash tragedy in Victoria on Tuesday morning.

The 24-year-old had landed at Tullamarine Airport and was quickly met with confusion outside before realising what happened just a few kilometres away at the Essendon DFO while on her way into Melbourne.

“We’d flown in and didn’t hear anything, but the airport was quite quiet and there was a bit of commotion outside,” Dobson said.

“Everyone was saying there was a lot of traffic, but myself and two other girls had to get a taxi into the city.

“It took over an hour to get there and that was going an alternative route.

“There was a lot of smoke and confusion at first and debris completely cut off the highway into the city.

“Then we heard what happened with the light plane crash and that all five people passed away, which was terrible.”

Dobson had flown into the state capital from Newcastle just before 9am, around the same time as the accident. 

“It wasn’t exactly where we were, just on the other side of one of the alternate airports,” she said.

“It didn’t really interfere with any other flights coming in, just with daily life on the freeway.”

The striker was down south as the Jets representative to help launch the Professional Footballers Australia new vision for the W-League, which included pathways and contract conditions.

It continues a recent bad run for Dobson, who was forced into an emergency landing with Jets teammates at Newcastle recently en route to Coffs Harbour late last month.

“I don’t like flying at the best of times,” she said.

“My last flight was a Jets one and it ended with an emergency landing back in Newcastle. Now this one.

“What is it with me and planes at the moment? And I’m about to go to Europe as well.”

Dobson will be one of four W-League players coaching on a European tour with Western Sydney Wanderers junior girls from March 31.