'It wouldn't be survivable': pilot presumed dead in Snowy Mountains crash

The Advertiser

3 days ago

While police haven't yet formally identified the body of the pilot who went missing on a flight over the Snowy Mountains, police sources said the crash was 'unsurvivable'.
In a recent press conference, Riverina Police District Commander, Superintendent Andrew Spliet said the force of the impact of the aircraft was significant.
"You wouldn't recognise it as an aeroplane," he said.
"There was obviously a fair bit of speed into the mountain range, which has completely destroyed that aircraft, and it wouldn't be a survivable collision."
A recovery operation was underway, with crime scene investigators winched onto the site.
"We've got investigators, as well as crime scene, attending that site, to clarify the cause of the collision and also see if we can identify the pilot," Mr Spliet said.
Conditions on the mountain have continued to frustrate the search and recovery operation.
"It was very difficult to get to," he said.
"There was a lot of very steep, overgrown terrain, so it was difficult to locate initially, but when weather conditions cleared, we were able to get those air assets over the coordinates."
The pilot, widely believed to be Brogo resident David Stephens, was flying his beloved plane when he went missing on Tuesday afternoon.
In the days before his disappearance, Mr Stephens flew from Moruya Airport to Frogs Hollow on the Far South Coast, and then from the Bega Valley-based airstrip to Wangaratta, a city northeast of Victoria.
But on Tuesday, July 15, at 4.35pm, NSW Police said emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valleys.
His partner, Lynda Leigh, said in a statement on Thursday to Bega District News that the mountain weather could turn very quickly.
"We have to assume he must have seen a way over the mountain to decide not to turn back to Wangaratta," she said.
"David has quite a bit of experience flying the plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing.
"We'll only have answers once they locate the plane and, with that, David."
Ms Leigh thanked the outpouring of hope and support from the community and the emergency services who searched for David in heavy fog, snow, heavy vegetation and horrendous terrain.
President of the Frogs Hollow Flyers, Tony Rettke, said Mr Stephens was an honest man and that he had drafted him as secretary to the club in recognition of his broad experience.
"I pulled him onto the committee because he was a member, and I could tell he had a lot to contribute to being a wise person and a flyer for many years," he said.
"He did his job well and had only been doing it for about six months, and had a major role in a recent fly-in with 25 aircraft coming to camp."
Besides being the immensely proud pilot of "Deb", his 1966 Debonair, David Stephens had a long history of drifting on dirt trails.
His partner said Mr Stephens earned his pilot's licence before he began driving in the 1960s.
As well as Frogs Hollow Flyer, Mr Stephens was a well-known and respected rally sport competitor and a dedicated committee member for various motorsport clubs across the Far South Coast.
"If he wasn't competing, he'll be volunteering as an official in all capacities for the ACT and NSW rally series, and, in turn, the Australian Rally Championships," Ms Leigh said.
In 2017, Ms Leigh told Bega District News that David competed on the famous Upper Cobargo and Buckajo Roads since the 70s and often hoped she would get a chance to drive the Bega Rally herself.
"I really enjoyed watching the Rally of Canberra since I moved there from Sydney in the 90s, but never did I think for a moment I'd compete or own my own rally car," she said.
"David takes his rallying seriously and I was honoured to be asked to be his co-driver - in my first year in the 'silly seat', we won the 2015 NSW Pace note series, which wasn't a bad start!"
While police haven't yet formally identified the body of the pilot who went missing on a flight over the Snowy Mountains, police sources said the crash was 'unsurvivable'.
In a recent press conference, Riverina Police District Commander, Superintendent Andrew Spliet said the force of the impact of the aircraft was significant.
"You wouldn't recognise it as an aeroplane," he said.
"There was obviously a fair bit of speed into the mountain range, which has completely destroyed that aircraft, and it wouldn't be a survivable collision."
A recovery operation was underway, with crime scene investigators winched onto the site.
"We've got investigators, as well as crime scene, attending that site, to clarify the cause of the collision and also see if we can identify the pilot," Mr Spliet said.
Conditions on the mountain have continued to frustrate the search and recovery operation.
"It was very difficult to get to," he said.
"There was a lot of very steep, overgrown terrain, so it was difficult to locate initially, but when weather conditions cleared, we were able to get those air assets over the coordinates."
The pilot, widely believed to be Brogo resident David Stephens, was flying his beloved plane when he went missing on Tuesday afternoon.
In the days before his disappearance, Mr Stephens flew from Moruya Airport to Frogs Hollow on the Far South Coast, and then from the Bega Valley-based airstrip to Wangaratta, a city northeast of Victoria.
But on Tuesday, July 15, at 4.35pm, NSW Police said emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valleys.
His partner, Lynda Leigh, said in a statement on Thursday to Bega District News that the mountain weather could turn very quickly.
"We have to assume he must have seen a way over the mountain to decide not to turn back to Wangaratta," she said.
"David has quite a bit of experience flying the plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing.
"We'll only have answers once they locate the plane and, with that, David."
Ms Leigh thanked the outpouring of hope and support from the community and the emergency services who searched for David in heavy fog, snow, heavy vegetation and horrendous terrain.
President of the Frogs Hollow Flyers, Tony Rettke, said Mr Stephens was an honest man and that he had drafted him as secretary to the club in recognition of his broad experience.
"I pulled him onto the committee because he was a member, and I could tell he had a lot to contribute to being a wise person and a flyer for many years," he said.
"He did his job well and had only been doing it for about six months, and had a major role in a recent fly-in with 25 aircraft coming to camp."
Besides being the immensely proud pilot of "Deb", his 1966 Debonair, David Stephens had a long history of drifting on dirt trails.
His partner said Mr Stephens earned his pilot's licence before he began driving in the 1960s.
As well as Frogs Hollow Flyer, Mr Stephens was a well-known and respected rally sport competitor and a dedicated committee member for various motorsport clubs across the Far South Coast.
"If he wasn't competing, he'll be volunteering as an official in all capacities for the ACT and NSW rally series, and, in turn, the Australian Rally Championships," Ms Leigh said.
In 2017, Ms Leigh told Bega District News that David competed on the famous Upper Cobargo and Buckajo Roads since the 70s and often hoped she would get a chance to drive the Bega Rally herself.
"I really enjoyed watching the Rally of Canberra since I moved there from Sydney in the 90s, but never did I think for a moment I'd compete or own my own rally car," she said.
"David takes his rallying seriously and I was honoured to be asked to be his co-driver - in my first year in the 'silly seat', we won the 2015 NSW Pace note series, which wasn't a bad start!"
While police haven't yet formally identified the body of the pilot who went missing on a flight over the Snowy Mountains, police sources said the crash was 'unsurvivable'.
In a recent press conference, Riverina Police District Commander, Superintendent Andrew Spliet said the force of the impact of the aircraft was significant.
"You wouldn't recognise it as an aeroplane," he said.
"There was obviously a fair bit of speed into the mountain range, which has completely destroyed that aircraft, and it wouldn't be a survivable collision."
A recovery operation was underway, with crime scene investigators winched onto the site.
"We've got investigators, as well as crime scene, attending that site, to clarify the cause of the collision and also see if we can identify the pilot," Mr Spliet said.
Conditions on the mountain have continued to frustrate the search and recovery operation.
"It was very difficult to get to," he said.
"There was a lot of very steep, overgrown terrain, so it was difficult to locate initially, but when weather conditions cleared, we were able to get those air assets over the coordinates."
The pilot, widely believed to be Brogo resident David Stephens, was flying his beloved plane when he went missing on Tuesday afternoon.
In the days before his disappearance, Mr Stephens flew from Moruya Airport to Frogs Hollow on the Far South Coast, and then from the Bega Valley-based airstrip to Wangaratta, a city northeast of Victoria.
But on Tuesday, July 15, at 4.35pm, NSW Police said emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valleys.
His partner, Lynda Leigh, said in a statement on Thursday to Bega District News that the mountain weather could turn very quickly.
"We have to assume he must have seen a way over the mountain to decide not to turn back to Wangaratta," she said.
"David has quite a bit of experience flying the plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing.
"We'll only have answers once they locate the plane and, with that, David."
Ms Leigh thanked the outpouring of hope and support from the community and the emergency services who searched for David in heavy fog, snow, heavy vegetation and horrendous terrain.
President of the Frogs Hollow Flyers, Tony Rettke, said Mr Stephens was an honest man and that he had drafted him as secretary to the club in recognition of his broad experience.
"I pulled him onto the committee because he was a member, and I could tell he had a lot to contribute to being a wise person and a flyer for many years," he said.
"He did his job well and had only been doing it for about six months, and had a major role in a recent fly-in with 25 aircraft coming to camp."
Besides being the immensely proud pilot of "Deb", his 1966 Debonair, David Stephens had a long history of drifting on dirt trails.
His partner said Mr Stephens earned his pilot's licence before he began driving in the 1960s.
As well as Frogs Hollow Flyer, Mr Stephens was a well-known and respected rally sport competitor and a dedicated committee member for various motorsport clubs across the Far South Coast.
"If he wasn't competing, he'll be volunteering as an official in all capacities for the ACT and NSW rally series, and, in turn, the Australian Rally Championships," Ms Leigh said.
In 2017, Ms Leigh told Bega District News that David competed on the famous Upper Cobargo and Buckajo Roads since the 70s and often hoped she would get a chance to drive the Bega Rally herself.
"I really enjoyed watching the Rally of Canberra since I moved there from Sydney in the 90s, but never did I think for a moment I'd compete or own my own rally car," she said.
"David takes his rallying seriously and I was honoured to be asked to be his co-driver - in my first year in the 'silly seat', we won the 2015 NSW Pace note series, which wasn't a bad start!"
While police haven't yet formally identified the body of the pilot who went missing on a flight over the Snowy Mountains, police sources said the crash was 'unsurvivable'.
In a recent press conference, Riverina Police District Commander, Superintendent Andrew Spliet said the force of the impact of the aircraft was significant.
"You wouldn't recognise it as an aeroplane," he said.
"There was obviously a fair bit of speed into the mountain range, which has completely destroyed that aircraft, and it wouldn't be a survivable collision."
A recovery operation was underway, with crime scene investigators winched onto the site.
"We've got investigators, as well as crime scene, attending that site, to clarify the cause of the collision and also see if we can identify the pilot," Mr Spliet said.
Conditions on the mountain have continued to frustrate the search and recovery operation.
"It was very difficult to get to," he said.
"There was a lot of very steep, overgrown terrain, so it was difficult to locate initially, but when weather conditions cleared, we were able to get those air assets over the coordinates."
The pilot, widely believed to be Brogo resident David Stephens, was flying his beloved plane when he went missing on Tuesday afternoon.
In the days before his disappearance, Mr Stephens flew from Moruya Airport to Frogs Hollow on the Far South Coast, and then from the Bega Valley-based airstrip to Wangaratta, a city northeast of Victoria.
But on Tuesday, July 15, at 4.35pm, NSW Police said emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valleys.
His partner, Lynda Leigh, said in a statement on Thursday to Bega District News that the mountain weather could turn very quickly.
"We have to assume he must have seen a way over the mountain to decide not to turn back to Wangaratta," she said.
"David has quite a bit of experience flying the plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing.
"We'll only have answers once they locate the plane and, with that, David."
Ms Leigh thanked the outpouring of hope and support from the community and the emergency services who searched for David in heavy fog, snow, heavy vegetation and horrendous terrain.
President of the Frogs Hollow Flyers, Tony Rettke, said Mr Stephens was an honest man and that he had drafted him as secretary to the club in recognition of his broad experience.
"I pulled him onto the committee because he was a member, and I could tell he had a lot to contribute to being a wise person and a flyer for many years," he said.
"He did his job well and had only been doing it for about six months, and had a major role in a recent fly-in with 25 aircraft coming to camp."
Besides being the immensely proud pilot of "Deb", his 1966 Debonair, David Stephens had a long history of drifting on dirt trails.
His partner said Mr Stephens earned his pilot's licence before he began driving in the 1960s.
As well as Frogs Hollow Flyer, Mr Stephens was a well-known and respected rally sport competitor and a dedicated committee member for various motorsport clubs across the Far South Coast.
"If he wasn't competing, he'll be volunteering as an official in all capacities for the ACT and NSW rally series, and, in turn, the Australian Rally Championships," Ms Leigh said.
In 2017, Ms Leigh told Bega District News that David competed on the famous Upper Cobargo and Buckajo Roads since the 70s and often hoped she would get a chance to drive the Bega Rally herself.
"I really enjoyed watching the Rally of Canberra since I moved there from Sydney in the 90s, but never did I think for a moment I'd compete or own my own rally car," she said.
"David takes his rallying seriously and I was honoured to be asked to be his co-driver - in my first year in the 'silly seat', we won the 2015 NSW Pace note series, which wasn't a bad start!"