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The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
Tributes for pilot killed in crash who was two months from retirement
A pilot who died when his plane crashed in the NSW Snowy Mountains last week was always "generous with his time and knowledge" and just two months away from retirement, friends say. Police found David Stephens' body in wreckage in the Snowy Mountains on Friday, July 18, after a multi-day search for a missing plane. The 74-year-old resident of Brogo, north of Bega on the NSW South Coast, went missing while flying from Wangaratta in northeast of Victoria to Moruya on the south coast. Mr Stephens worked for decades as a chartered tax accountant and was only two months away from retirement, and his family said they had been hoping to spend more time with him. On Tuesday, July 15, at 4.35pm, emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valleys. The wreckage, and Mr Stephens' body, were found a few days later. 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." Tony Rettke is a fellow aviator and president of Bega's rural flying club, the Frogs Hollow Flyers. He recounted getting the call from Mr Stephens' wife. "I got a message, and it was from David's wife. She said something like, 'Hi, this is Lynda Leigh. Could you call me back, please?' She sounded upset," Mr Rettke told ACM's Bega District News. "Lynda said, 'I'm just calling to let you know, as the president of the Frogs Hollow Flyers and a friend of David's, he's crashed his plane'." "I had been talking to David a day or two before. He needed to get a couple of emails out for me, and said he would do it at Wangaratta [the airport he left prior to the disappearance]." Mr Rettke sat in his car as thoughts crossed his mind of what may have happened to his friend. "It actually knocked me," he said. "I've been thinking a lot about it. About how David would have felt and what might have happened, and there could be 100 things. [It] could be the aircraft, could be a mistake he's made, could be ... many things." Mr Rettke said it was sobering to think about, as he, too, had flown on numerous occasions across the past month in varied weather conditions. Mr Stephens earned his pilot's licence before he began driving in the 1960s, and was immensely proud of his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair, which he christened "Deb". It was understood that Mr Stephens was a non-instrument-rated pilot, which meant he could only fly when he could see the ground and maintain visual contact with landmarks. "I do that [kind of flight] all the time. It's called 'tiger country' where you can't land without tearing the wings off. Some people go around it. It's the risk you take," Mr Rettke said. "I don't know if his plane was completely destroyed. I think it would have looked like newspaper shredded through the trees, because they are built light. "It's more dangerous to ride a motorbike from here to Canberra, without a doubt. People worry that I swim with sharks, but they're always there." About 4pm, Thursday, July 17, a rescue helicopter found the crashed plane near its last known GPS location. Just before 3pm the next day, NSW police found the body of a man in the wreckage. Mr Rettke remembered his friend as an honest man who served as secretary on the Frogs Hollow Flyers committee, where he was an active member. "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," Mr Rettke 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, Mr Stephens had a long history of racing on dirt trails. As well as a 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 volunteered as an official in all capacities for the ACT and NSW rally series, and, in turn, the Australian Rally Championships. Mr Stephens was a very active member of the club and had previously been treasurer and secretary. In 2017, his wife Ms Leigh told Bega District News that Mr Stephens 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. "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," she had said. Current Bega Valley Rally director Ian Slater said he would remember his friend as being kind and generous with his time and knowledge. "He would do anything for you that you asked him," Mr Slater told ACM's Bega District News. "Sometimes he probably didn't agree with you, but we'd nut it out and we'd move on," he said with a chuckle. "He was good for the younger people coming into the sport. "He could mentor them in navigating, although he was a very good driver as well." Mr Slater was watching television when Mr Stephens' wife tried to call him, but unfortunately, he didn't hear his phone ring. "She then rang my wife and said, 'David's gone missing in his plane'. I rang her back and she told me the same thing," Mr Slater recalled. "It was a bit of a shock. I didn't really believe it, and since then we have stayed in contact to find out what's going on. "Having done a bit of flying myself, it's normally not a risky sport. Car rallying is probably more dangerous. "We're doing all right. We ring up Lynda all the time to keep in contact with her. It's pretty tough." A pilot who died when his plane crashed in the NSW Snowy Mountains last week was always "generous with his time and knowledge" and just two months away from retirement, friends say. Police found David Stephens' body in wreckage in the Snowy Mountains on Friday, July 18, after a multi-day search for a missing plane. The 74-year-old resident of Brogo, north of Bega on the NSW South Coast, went missing while flying from Wangaratta in northeast of Victoria to Moruya on the south coast. Mr Stephens worked for decades as a chartered tax accountant and was only two months away from retirement, and his family said they had been hoping to spend more time with him. On Tuesday, July 15, at 4.35pm, emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valleys. The wreckage, and Mr Stephens' body, were found a few days later. 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." Tony Rettke is a fellow aviator and president of Bega's rural flying club, the Frogs Hollow Flyers. He recounted getting the call from Mr Stephens' wife. "I got a message, and it was from David's wife. She said something like, 'Hi, this is Lynda Leigh. Could you call me back, please?' She sounded upset," Mr Rettke told ACM's Bega District News. "Lynda said, 'I'm just calling to let you know, as the president of the Frogs Hollow Flyers and a friend of David's, he's crashed his plane'." "I had been talking to David a day or two before. He needed to get a couple of emails out for me, and said he would do it at Wangaratta [the airport he left prior to the disappearance]." Mr Rettke sat in his car as thoughts crossed his mind of what may have happened to his friend. "It actually knocked me," he said. "I've been thinking a lot about it. About how David would have felt and what might have happened, and there could be 100 things. [It] could be the aircraft, could be a mistake he's made, could be ... many things." Mr Rettke said it was sobering to think about, as he, too, had flown on numerous occasions across the past month in varied weather conditions. Mr Stephens earned his pilot's licence before he began driving in the 1960s, and was immensely proud of his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair, which he christened "Deb". It was understood that Mr Stephens was a non-instrument-rated pilot, which meant he could only fly when he could see the ground and maintain visual contact with landmarks. "I do that [kind of flight] all the time. It's called 'tiger country' where you can't land without tearing the wings off. Some people go around it. It's the risk you take," Mr Rettke said. "I don't know if his plane was completely destroyed. I think it would have looked like newspaper shredded through the trees, because they are built light. "It's more dangerous to ride a motorbike from here to Canberra, without a doubt. People worry that I swim with sharks, but they're always there." About 4pm, Thursday, July 17, a rescue helicopter found the crashed plane near its last known GPS location. Just before 3pm the next day, NSW police found the body of a man in the wreckage. Mr Rettke remembered his friend as an honest man who served as secretary on the Frogs Hollow Flyers committee, where he was an active member. "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," Mr Rettke 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, Mr Stephens had a long history of racing on dirt trails. As well as a 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 volunteered as an official in all capacities for the ACT and NSW rally series, and, in turn, the Australian Rally Championships. Mr Stephens was a very active member of the club and had previously been treasurer and secretary. In 2017, his wife Ms Leigh told Bega District News that Mr Stephens 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. "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," she had said. Current Bega Valley Rally director Ian Slater said he would remember his friend as being kind and generous with his time and knowledge. "He would do anything for you that you asked him," Mr Slater told ACM's Bega District News. "Sometimes he probably didn't agree with you, but we'd nut it out and we'd move on," he said with a chuckle. "He was good for the younger people coming into the sport. "He could mentor them in navigating, although he was a very good driver as well." Mr Slater was watching television when Mr Stephens' wife tried to call him, but unfortunately, he didn't hear his phone ring. "She then rang my wife and said, 'David's gone missing in his plane'. I rang her back and she told me the same thing," Mr Slater recalled. "It was a bit of a shock. I didn't really believe it, and since then we have stayed in contact to find out what's going on. "Having done a bit of flying myself, it's normally not a risky sport. Car rallying is probably more dangerous. "We're doing all right. We ring up Lynda all the time to keep in contact with her. It's pretty tough." A pilot who died when his plane crashed in the NSW Snowy Mountains last week was always "generous with his time and knowledge" and just two months away from retirement, friends say. Police found David Stephens' body in wreckage in the Snowy Mountains on Friday, July 18, after a multi-day search for a missing plane. The 74-year-old resident of Brogo, north of Bega on the NSW South Coast, went missing while flying from Wangaratta in northeast of Victoria to Moruya on the south coast. Mr Stephens worked for decades as a chartered tax accountant and was only two months away from retirement, and his family said they had been hoping to spend more time with him. On Tuesday, July 15, at 4.35pm, emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valleys. The wreckage, and Mr Stephens' body, were found a few days later. 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." Tony Rettke is a fellow aviator and president of Bega's rural flying club, the Frogs Hollow Flyers. He recounted getting the call from Mr Stephens' wife. "I got a message, and it was from David's wife. She said something like, 'Hi, this is Lynda Leigh. Could you call me back, please?' She sounded upset," Mr Rettke told ACM's Bega District News. "Lynda said, 'I'm just calling to let you know, as the president of the Frogs Hollow Flyers and a friend of David's, he's crashed his plane'." "I had been talking to David a day or two before. He needed to get a couple of emails out for me, and said he would do it at Wangaratta [the airport he left prior to the disappearance]." Mr Rettke sat in his car as thoughts crossed his mind of what may have happened to his friend. "It actually knocked me," he said. "I've been thinking a lot about it. About how David would have felt and what might have happened, and there could be 100 things. [It] could be the aircraft, could be a mistake he's made, could be ... many things." Mr Rettke said it was sobering to think about, as he, too, had flown on numerous occasions across the past month in varied weather conditions. Mr Stephens earned his pilot's licence before he began driving in the 1960s, and was immensely proud of his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair, which he christened "Deb". It was understood that Mr Stephens was a non-instrument-rated pilot, which meant he could only fly when he could see the ground and maintain visual contact with landmarks. "I do that [kind of flight] all the time. It's called 'tiger country' where you can't land without tearing the wings off. Some people go around it. It's the risk you take," Mr Rettke said. "I don't know if his plane was completely destroyed. I think it would have looked like newspaper shredded through the trees, because they are built light. "It's more dangerous to ride a motorbike from here to Canberra, without a doubt. People worry that I swim with sharks, but they're always there." About 4pm, Thursday, July 17, a rescue helicopter found the crashed plane near its last known GPS location. Just before 3pm the next day, NSW police found the body of a man in the wreckage. Mr Rettke remembered his friend as an honest man who served as secretary on the Frogs Hollow Flyers committee, where he was an active member. "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," Mr Rettke 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, Mr Stephens had a long history of racing on dirt trails. As well as a 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 volunteered as an official in all capacities for the ACT and NSW rally series, and, in turn, the Australian Rally Championships. Mr Stephens was a very active member of the club and had previously been treasurer and secretary. In 2017, his wife Ms Leigh told Bega District News that Mr Stephens 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. "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," she had said. Current Bega Valley Rally director Ian Slater said he would remember his friend as being kind and generous with his time and knowledge. "He would do anything for you that you asked him," Mr Slater told ACM's Bega District News. "Sometimes he probably didn't agree with you, but we'd nut it out and we'd move on," he said with a chuckle. "He was good for the younger people coming into the sport. "He could mentor them in navigating, although he was a very good driver as well." Mr Slater was watching television when Mr Stephens' wife tried to call him, but unfortunately, he didn't hear his phone ring. "She then rang my wife and said, 'David's gone missing in his plane'. I rang her back and she told me the same thing," Mr Slater recalled. "It was a bit of a shock. I didn't really believe it, and since then we have stayed in contact to find out what's going on. "Having done a bit of flying myself, it's normally not a risky sport. Car rallying is probably more dangerous. "We're doing all right. We ring up Lynda all the time to keep in contact with her. It's pretty tough." A pilot who died when his plane crashed in the NSW Snowy Mountains last week was always "generous with his time and knowledge" and just two months away from retirement, friends say. Police found David Stephens' body in wreckage in the Snowy Mountains on Friday, July 18, after a multi-day search for a missing plane. The 74-year-old resident of Brogo, north of Bega on the NSW South Coast, went missing while flying from Wangaratta in northeast of Victoria to Moruya on the south coast. Mr Stephens worked for decades as a chartered tax accountant and was only two months away from retirement, and his family said they had been hoping to spend more time with him. On Tuesday, July 15, at 4.35pm, emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valleys. The wreckage, and Mr Stephens' body, were found a few days later. 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." Tony Rettke is a fellow aviator and president of Bega's rural flying club, the Frogs Hollow Flyers. He recounted getting the call from Mr Stephens' wife. "I got a message, and it was from David's wife. She said something like, 'Hi, this is Lynda Leigh. Could you call me back, please?' She sounded upset," Mr Rettke told ACM's Bega District News. "Lynda said, 'I'm just calling to let you know, as the president of the Frogs Hollow Flyers and a friend of David's, he's crashed his plane'." "I had been talking to David a day or two before. He needed to get a couple of emails out for me, and said he would do it at Wangaratta [the airport he left prior to the disappearance]." Mr Rettke sat in his car as thoughts crossed his mind of what may have happened to his friend. "It actually knocked me," he said. "I've been thinking a lot about it. About how David would have felt and what might have happened, and there could be 100 things. [It] could be the aircraft, could be a mistake he's made, could be ... many things." Mr Rettke said it was sobering to think about, as he, too, had flown on numerous occasions across the past month in varied weather conditions. Mr Stephens earned his pilot's licence before he began driving in the 1960s, and was immensely proud of his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair, which he christened "Deb". It was understood that Mr Stephens was a non-instrument-rated pilot, which meant he could only fly when he could see the ground and maintain visual contact with landmarks. "I do that [kind of flight] all the time. It's called 'tiger country' where you can't land without tearing the wings off. Some people go around it. It's the risk you take," Mr Rettke said. "I don't know if his plane was completely destroyed. I think it would have looked like newspaper shredded through the trees, because they are built light. "It's more dangerous to ride a motorbike from here to Canberra, without a doubt. People worry that I swim with sharks, but they're always there." About 4pm, Thursday, July 17, a rescue helicopter found the crashed plane near its last known GPS location. Just before 3pm the next day, NSW police found the body of a man in the wreckage. Mr Rettke remembered his friend as an honest man who served as secretary on the Frogs Hollow Flyers committee, where he was an active member. "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," Mr Rettke 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, Mr Stephens had a long history of racing on dirt trails. As well as a 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 volunteered as an official in all capacities for the ACT and NSW rally series, and, in turn, the Australian Rally Championships. Mr Stephens was a very active member of the club and had previously been treasurer and secretary. In 2017, his wife Ms Leigh told Bega District News that Mr Stephens 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. "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," she had said. Current Bega Valley Rally director Ian Slater said he would remember his friend as being kind and generous with his time and knowledge. "He would do anything for you that you asked him," Mr Slater told ACM's Bega District News. "Sometimes he probably didn't agree with you, but we'd nut it out and we'd move on," he said with a chuckle. "He was good for the younger people coming into the sport. "He could mentor them in navigating, although he was a very good driver as well." Mr Slater was watching television when Mr Stephens' wife tried to call him, but unfortunately, he didn't hear his phone ring. "She then rang my wife and said, 'David's gone missing in his plane'. I rang her back and she told me the same thing," Mr Slater recalled. "It was a bit of a shock. I didn't really believe it, and since then we have stayed in contact to find out what's going on. "Having done a bit of flying myself, it's normally not a risky sport. Car rallying is probably more dangerous. "We're doing all right. We ring up Lynda all the time to keep in contact with her. It's pretty tough."
News.com.au
5 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Body found in search for missing pilot who crashed in Snowy Mountains
The body of a man has been found in the wreckage of a plane that went missing in the Snowy Mountains earlier this week. The body was located at the crash site just before 3pm on Friday, and police believe it is the remains of pilot David Stephens. 'While he is yet to be formally identified, police believe the body is that of the missing pilot,' NSW police said in a statement. The body is expected to be recovered from the crash site later Friday afternoon and a report will be prepared for the coroner. Earlier on Friday police conceded it was 'fairly clear' Mr Stephens had not survived the impact. The 74-year-old, an experienced pilot from Bega, was flying the 1966 Beechcraft Debonair plane from Wangaratta in Victoria to Moruya Airport on the NSW South Coast on Tuesday when he lost contact. NSW Police confirmed the plane's wreckage was found about 4pm on Thursday, with a rescue helicopter locating 'what is believed to be the crashed plane near the plane's last known GPS location'. Speaking on Friday, Superintendent Andrew Spliet said crews were still working to find the cause of the crash and the pilot's whereabouts. He told reporters the impact of the crash was significant and it was 'fairly clear that wouldn't be survivable'. The pilot's body has not been located. Superintendent Spliet said the impact of the crash was so severe 'you wouldn't recognise it as a plane'. 'Obviously, (there was) a fair bit of speed into the mountain range there, which has completely destroyed that aircraft,' he said. 'And as I said, it wouldn't be a survivable collision.' He explained the conditions in the Snowy Mountains were 'very difficult' for the emergency crews to access, with lots of snow and a 'very steep' terrain. 'It was a lot of very steep, overgrown terrain up there, so it was difficult to locate initially and also due to those weather conditions,' Superintendent Spliet said. 'But when that cleared, we were able to get those air assets over the co-ordinates that we've been provided, and that's when the crash site was identified.' He said an investigation into the crash would determine if the weather played a role. 'Obviously, that evening … the weather conditions were fairly unpleasant and not very good for search and the air assets in the air at the time,' he said. 'I would say that (the weather conditions) weren't ideal.' Mr Stephens' wife Lynda Leigh told the ABC that he was an experienced pilot and only two months from retiring. He had been on his way home when he disappeared. 'It is known that the mountain weather can turn very quickly, and we can only 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 that plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing, and we'll only have answers once they locate the plane and with that David.' Friend and Frog's Hollow Flyers aero club president Tony Radcliffe told 9News that Mr Stephens was a 'very capable' pilot, though Mr Radcliffe was worried about the conditions Mr Stephens faced. 'We call it tiger country, anywhere that's difficult to make a forced landing,' he told the outlet. 'We're all aware of the different possibilities in flying light aircraft. David's very capable and very experienced to be flying the length that he has.'
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- General
- Sky News AU
Tragic update as police confirm man's body found after plane crash in New South Wales Snowy Mountains region
Police have confirmed a man's body has been found after a light aircraft crash in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains region. The plane, with one person on board, was flying from Wangaratta in Victoria to the NSW South Coast on Tuesday when it never made its scheduled landing at Moruya Airport. A rescue helicopter found the wreckage of the plane on Thursday about 10km from Khancoban in the Snowy Mountains, which was near the aircraft's last known GPS location. The pilot on board the 1966 Beechcraft Debonair plane has since been named as Bega man David Stephens, although police said the sole occupant of the aircraft is yet to be formally identified. NSW Police confirmed a man's body had been found in wreckage near the crash site about 3.00pm on Friday following a multi-day search and recovery operation. "While he is yet to be formally identified, police believe the body is that of the missing pilot," police said in a statement. "Police remain at the crash site and it is expected the body will be removed from the site later this afternoon. "A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner." Mr Stephen's wife Lynda Leigh issued a statement to the ABC on Thursday, explaining the 74-year-old experienced pilot and accountant had never returned home after embarking on a flight. "Unfortunately, David disappeared on his flight home," she said. "It is known that the mountain weather can turn very quickly and we have to assume he must have seen a way over the mountain and decided not to turn back to Wangaratta. "David has quite a bit of experience flying that plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing and we'll only have answers once they locate the plane and with that, David." Earlier on Friday, Riverina Police District Commander Superintendent Andrew Spliet confirmed the family's worst fears as he said the sheer impact of the crash would not have been survivable. "It's clear from the wreckage of that plane that there's been a significant impact into the terrain there in the Snowy Mountains," he told reporters at a media conference. Asked if he could confirm any further details about the pilot, Supt Spliet said police were not in a position to make any positive identifications. "With the significant impact that has occurred, there's quite a bit of wreckage from that impact, it's fairly clear that it wouldn't be survivable," Supt Spliet said. Investigators are still working to determine what caused the collission. "You wouldn't recognise it as an aeroplane ... obviously a fair bit of speed into the mountain range there which has completely destroyed that aircraft," Supt Spliet said. Supt Spliet said steep terrain combined with a lot of snow and fog made the crash site difficult to access and navigate. Although he could not confirm the flying conditions at the time of the crash, Supt Spliet noted the weather was "fairly inclement" during the search efforts. NSW Police Rescue and Bomb Disposal officers and the Alpine Operations Unit were deployed in the search, which was ultimately led by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. National Parks and Wildlife Service crew, State Emergency Service volunteers and officers from the ACT Police Alpine Unit also took part in the operation.
7NEWS
6 days ago
- General
- 7NEWS
Body of missing pilot found a day after wreckage discovered in Snowy Mountains crash
The body of a pilot missing after a light plane crash in the NSW Snowy Mountains has been found. David Stephens, a 74-year-old experienced pilot from Bega, was flying a private flight from Wangaratta in Victoria to Moruya on the NSW South Coast on Tuesday when the aircraft failed to arrive. The wreckage of the Beechcraft Debonair light aircraft was located about 4pm on Thursday in snow-covered terrain, roughly 10km east of Khancoban. Stephens' body was found near the crash site about 3pm on Friday. 'While he is yet to be formally identified, police believe the body is that of the missing pilot,' NSW Police said in a statement. A report will be prepared for the coroner. The wreckage of the plane was almost completely destroyed in the crash. 'You wouldn't recognise it as an aeroplane,' NSW Police Superintendent Andrew Spliet said on Friday. 'It's a significant impact, a fair bit of speed into the mountain range which has completely destroyed that aircraft. 'It wouldn't be survivable,' he told reporters. Earlier, Stephens' wife Lynda Leigh said he disappeared 'on his flight home ... after having his aircraft inspected' in Victoria. 'It is known that the mountain weather can turn very quickly, and we can only assume he must have seen a way over the mountain to decide not to turn back to Wangaratta,' she told the ABC in a statement. 'David has quite a bit of experience flying that plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing, and we'll only have answers once they locate the plane and with that David.' She said Stephens is a member of the Frog's Hollow Flyers aero club, a rally sport commentator on the Sapphire Coast region, and an accountant just two months from retirement. 'Which makes the situation more heartbreaking as his family was looking to spend more time with him after decades of work,' Leigh said.
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Climate
- Perth Now
Sad update in search for missing pilot
Police say it's 'fairly clear' the missing pilot at the helm of a plane that crashed in the rugged Snowy Mountains has not survived the impact as crews continue their desperate search. Experienced Bega pilot David Stephens, 74, was flying the 1966 Beechcraft Debonair plane from Wangaratta in Victoria to Moruya Airport on the NSW South Coast on Tuesday when he lost contact. NSW Police confirmed the plane's wreckage was found about 4pm on Thursday, with a rescue helicopter locating 'what is believed to be the crashed plane near the plane's last known GPS location'. Speaking on Friday, Superintendent Andrew Spliet said crews were still working to find the cause of the crash and the pilot's whereabouts. He told reporters the impact of the crash was significant and it was 'fairly clear that wouldn't be survivable'. The pilot's body has not been located. Pilot David Stephens and his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair plane went missing in the Snowy Mountains. Supplied Credit: Supplied Superintendent Spliet said the impact of the crash was so severe 'you wouldn't recognise it as a plane'. 'Obviously, (there was) a fair bit of speed into the mountain range there, which has completely destroyed that aircraft,' he said. 'And as I said, it wouldn't be a survivable collision.' He explained the conditions in the Snowy Mountains were 'very difficult' for the emergency crews to access, with lots of snow and a 'very steep' terrain. 'It was a lot of very steep, overgrown terrain up there, so it was difficult to locate initially and also due to those weather conditions,' Superintendent Spliet said. 'But when that cleared, we were able to get those air assets over the co-ordinates that we've been provided, and that's when the crash site was identified.' He said an investigation into the crash would determine if the weather played a role. 'Obviously, that evening … the weather conditions were fairly unpleasant and not very good for search and the air assets in the air at the time,' he said. 'I would say that (the weather conditions) weren't ideal.' Mr Stephens, pictured with his father, was a long-time pilot. Supplied Credit: Supplied Mr Stephens' wife Lynda Leigh told the ABC that he was an experienced pilot and only two months from retiring. He had been on his way home when he disappeared. 'It is known that the mountain weather can turn very quickly, and we can only 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 that plane, but we can't know what situation he was facing, and we'll only have answers once they locate the plane and with that David.' Friend and Frog's Hollow Flyers aero club president Tony Radcliffe told 9News that Mr Stephens was a 'very capable' pilot, though Mr Radcliffe was worried about the conditions Mr Stephens faced. 'We call it tiger country, anywhere that's difficult to make a forced landing,' he told the outlet. 'We're all aware of the different possibilities in flying light aircraft. David's very capable and very experienced to be flying the length that he has.'
