By Penry Buckley and Kayla Olaya
A body has been found near wreckage in the Snowy Mountains after a multi-day search was launched for a plane that went missing during a flight from Victoria.
Police confirmed the body had been located after wreckage of the light plane was spotted by a rescue helicopter on Thursday afternoon near its last known GPS location over Khancoban.
Pilot David Stephens with his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair aircraft.Credit: Lynda Leigh
Bega man David Stephens, 74, was the plane’s sole occupant. His family raised the alarm after the experienced pilot failed to arrive at Moruya Airport after departing from Wangaratta in Victoria.
Police on Friday confirmed the body had been found near the crash site just before 3pm.
“While he is yet to be formally identified, police believe the body is that of the missing pilot,” they said in a statement.
Police expect to move the body from the site late in the afternoon.
Crews had to suspend the search on Tuesday because of challenging ground conditions.Credit: NSW Police
Riverina Police District Commander Andrew Spliet earlier told reporters the crash site had been difficult to locate because of rough weather conditions.
“But when that cleared, we were able to get those air assets over the co-ordinates … and that’s when the crash site was identified,” he told reporters on Friday.
Emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash near Dargals Trail in the Snowy Valley about 4.30pm on Tuesday.
A multi-agency search, which was temporarily suspended because of difficult conditions, resumed on Wednesday morning, bringing in officers from NSW and Victoria emergency services, including NSW Police, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Snowy Hydro.
It also included an overhead search by an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) rescue jet, and two helicopters scrambled from Victoria and Sydney.
Speaking before the discovery of the crash site, Stephens’ family described the accountant, who is months away from retiring, as an experienced pilot who has been flying since the 1960s.
“David loved to fly. He earned his pilot’s licence even before his driver’s licence in the 1960s,” the family said in a statement to Nine News.
“He must have seen a way over the mountains and decided not to turn back.”
Tony Rettke, Frog’s Hollow Flyers aero club president, of which Stephens was a member, said his plane, a 1966 Beechcraft Debonair, was being serviced before his departure from Wangaratta.
“We’re all aware of the different possibilities in flying light aircraft, and David is very capable and very experienced to be flying the length that he has,” he told Nine News.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.