A multi-agency search, including specialist forensic police officers, initiated on Friday for a 74-year-old pilot, David Stephens, whose light plane crashed in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains region earlier in the week. Stephens, a resident of Bega, has been missing since Tuesday afternoon, with his last known sighting at Wangaratta, Victoria, before he was supposed to land at Moruya airport on the NSW south coast. NSW police commenced air and land searches after he did not arrive. On Thursday, the crashed plane was spotted near Dargals Trail, east of Khancoban. A “recovery operation” to retrieve and examine the plane commenced around midday on Friday, involving Riverina police district, PolAir, Police Rescue, and the criminal investigation and crime scene unit. Initial searches involved the police alpine operations unit, NSW and Victorian ambulance services, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, state emergency services, and Snowy Hydro. Search efforts from the sky included an Australian Maritime Safety Authority Challenger rescue jet and two helicopters.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/18/pilot-david-stephens-crashed-plane-found-nsw-snowy-mountains
Concerns Raise for Pilot David Stephens Following Aircraft Discovery in Isolated NSW Snowy Mountains | New South Wales
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