The wreckage of a light aircraft that went missing in eastern Australia has been found in New South Wales' Snowy Mountains region, with authorities confirming the crash was unsurvivable.
The single-engine 1966 Beechcraft Debonair 35-C33, piloted solely by 74-year-old David Stephens, was reported missing after failing to land at a regional airport south of Sydney. The plane had taken off from Wangaratta in Victoria and was headed to Moruya in NSW, but lost contact near Khancoban.
NSW Police confirmed on Friday that the aircraft was located by a rescue helicopter at around 4 pm on Thursday. Superintendent Andrew Spliet stated the plane was &ldquo;destroyed&rdquo; and &ldquo;fairly clear it wouldn&rsquo;t be survivable.&rdquo;
Challenging weather hampered the multi-agency aerial and ground search, which included jet and helicopter surveillance, as well as crews from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), the State Emergency Service, and National Parks personnel.
Snowfall and temperatures near 1&deg;C in the mountainous terrain added further difficulty to rescue operations.
An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the crash.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]

Wreckage of Missing Plane Found in Snowy Mountains

Unsurvivable crash claims life of 74-year-old pilot in NSW's remote Snowy Mountains region

Wreckage of Missing Plane Found in Snowy Mountains

Unsurvivable crash claims life of 74-year-old pilot in NSW's remote Snowy Mountains region

July 18, 2025 | 19:21 IST