17-07-2025
Rescue crews face challenging conditions of steep terrain and fog in search for missing plane in NSW Snowy Mountains
Ground crews have been faced with steep, rugged terrain and fog on day two of the search for a plane which vanished in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains region.
The plane. with one person on board. was flying from Wangaratta in north-east Victoria to the NSW South Coast when it failed to make its scheduled landing at Moruya Airport on Tuesday.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the aircraft's last known position was in the Snowy Mountains east of Khancoban before it disappeared.
An AMSA-led search for the plane resumed at 10am on Thursday after efforts were temporarily suspended overnight due to low visibility in the area.
AMSA Response Centre duty manager Dan Gillis said rescue teams have encountered "significant challenges" with access to the Snowy Mountains search area.
"They're doing their best to search the area, but it is a very challenging search due to the terrain and the weather conditions which are quite hazardous at the moment," Mr Gillis said.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, temperatures reached an icy -5C in Perisher Valley and -2.3C at Thredbo Top Station on Thursday.
Mr Gillis said trails in the area have been "heavily snowed in".
"It is very rugged terrain and very steep alpine terrain that they're trying to navigate through," he said.
Footage shared on social media by the Riverina Police District revealed the extent of the snowy conditions, with one image showing a thick haze of fog blanketing the skyline.
NSW Police Rescue and Bomb Disposal officers and the Alpine Operations Unit have been deployed in the search, alongside State Emergency Service volunteers.
National Parks and Wildlife Service crew and officers from the ACT Police Alpine Unit have also joined the operation.
Police confirmed the search for the plane is ongoing in a statement just before 3.30pm on Thursday.
"Crews are navigating steep terrain impacted by snow and foggy conditions," a NSW Police spokesperson said.
"The AMSA Challenger rescue jet and two helicopters, from Victoria and ACT, are conducting an overhead search."
Earlier on Thursday, an AMSA spokesperson said the weather conditions were "challenging with low cloud and restricted visibility".
The AMSA was initially notified by Air Services Australia that the plane bound for Moruya Airport never arrived at its intended destination.
Moruya Airport is located on the NSW South Coast about 175km south-east of Canberra, and 314km south of Sydney
