Latest news with #AustralianMaritimeSafetyAuthority
West Australian
22-07-2025
- West Australian
‘No one was on board': Rescue abandoned after grim discovery
An urgent search for missing fisherman Geoff Buchanan has been abandoned after his boat was discovered almost 150km out to sea unmanned and drifting aimlessly. Emergency services were called to Batemans Bay Marina about 8pm on Saturday after the 56-year-old Sussex Inlet man failed to return from a daylong fishing trip. About 1.20pm on Tuesday, Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Challenger aircraft found the fisherman's empty boat east of Narooma. Nearby commercial fishing boats assisted in stabilising the drifting cruiser amid choppy sea conditions. The vessel is being towed back to shore. Police were informed that Mr Buchanan had departed the marina about 6am aboard an eight-metre Arvor cruiser. He was last spoken to about 10am. When he didn't return as expected, concerns were raised and emergency services were notified about 7.20pm. A search operation was launched by the Marine Area Command, with support from South Coast Police District officers, Marine Rescue NSW and AMSA. The search area was expanded significantly, stretching from Port Stephens in the north to the Victorian border in the south. NSW Police marine area command officer detective chief inspector Anthony Brazzill said Mr Buchanan suffered from diabetes and police had not ruled out the possibility he suffered a medical episode onboard. 'The gentleman does have health issues managing diabetes that we're extremely concerned about … we understand he had the medication,' Inspector Brazzill said. 'But if something did happen where he had an episode and couldn't get to his medication, that is our grave concern.' Mr Chaffey said Mr Buchanan had been planning to fish for tuna near the continental shelf and potentially stop for a dive on the way back on Saturday. '(Mr Buchanan) was very safety conscious,' he said. 'He always lets the marina know where he's going, when he's going.' A close friend of Mr Buchanan, and manager of the Batemans Bay d'Albora marina, Mitch Chaffey, told the ABC Mr Buchanan was a highly experienced waterman. 'Geoff's been around the water his whole life, very experienced in the water and on the water, fisherman, skin diver, who knows his way around a boat,' Mr Chaffey said.
Perth Now
22-07-2025
- Perth Now
Rescue abandoned after grim discovery
An urgent search for missing fisherman Geoff Buchanan has been abandoned after his boat was discovered almost 150km out to sea unmanned and drifting aimlessly. Emergency services were called to Batemans Bay Marina about 8pm on Saturday after the 56-year-old Sussex Inlet man failed to return from a daylong fishing trip. About 1.20pm on Tuesday, Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Challenger aircraft found the fisherman's empty boat east of Narooma. Nearby commercial fishing boats assisted in stabilising the drifting cruiser amid choppy sea conditions. The vessel is being towed back to shore. Police were informed that Mr Buchanan had departed the marina about 6am aboard an eight-metre Arvor cruiser. He was last spoken to about 10am. When he didn't return as expected, concerns were raised and emergency services were notified about 7.20pm. Volunteers had been searching for Mr Buchanan since his disappearance. Marine Rescue NSW Credit: Supplied A search operation was launched by the Marine Area Command, with support from South Coast Police District officers, Marine Rescue NSW and AMSA. The search area was expanded significantly, stretching from Port Stephens in the north to the Victorian border in the south. NSW Police marine area command officer detective chief inspector Anthony Brazzill said Mr Buchanan suffered from diabetes and police had not ruled out the possibility he suffered a medical episode onboard. 'The gentleman does have health issues managing diabetes that we're extremely concerned about … we understand he had the medication,' Inspector Brazzill said. 'But if something did happen where he had an episode and couldn't get to his medication, that is our grave concern.' Mr Chaffey said Mr Buchanan had been planning to fish for tuna near the continental shelf and potentially stop for a dive on the way back on Saturday. '(Mr Buchanan) was very safety conscious,' he said. 'He always lets the marina know where he's going, when he's going.' A close friend of Mr Buchanan, and manager of the Batemans Bay d'Albora marina, Mitch Chaffey, told the ABC Mr Buchanan was a highly experienced waterman. 'Geoff's been around the water his whole life, very experienced in the water and on the water, fisherman, skin diver, who knows his way around a boat,' Mr Chaffey said.
7NEWS
22-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Search for missing South Coast fisherman suspended after boat found adrift more than 100km offshore
The search for a missing fisherman on the New South Wales south coast has been called off, after the discovery of an empty boat more than 100km offshore. The search was launched on Saturday evening after the fisherman failed to return from a fishing trip about 8pm. The 56-year-old man was last seen when he set off from the Batemans Bay Marina at about 6am that day. He was manning an 8m Arvor cruiser and had last been spoken to about 10am, police said. The search area was expanded to as far as Port Stephens in the north and south to the Victorian border. About 1.20pm on Tuesday, an Australian Maritime Safety Authority Challenger aircraft located an empty boat about 80 nautical miles — or 148km — east of Narooma. Fisherman on board a nearby commercial fishing vessel assisted police to stop the vessel in challenging conditions before it could be towed to shore. Police said patrols by Marine Area Command will continue in the coming days, however, the main search had been suspended.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pilot Missing in Snow-Covered Mountains After Plane Is Found Crashed in 'Steep Alpine Terrain'
NEED TO KNOW A pilot is missing after his plane was disappeared in the Snowy Mountains of Australia on Tuesday, July 15 David Stephens, 74, was not located when his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair plane was found by search teams on Thursday, July 17 Stephens was traveling to Moruya on the New South Wales coast when he took off from Wangaratta in VictoriaThe pilot of a small aircraft is missing after it was found crashed in a remote area of the Snowy Mountains in Australia. David Stephens, 74, was not located when his 1966 Beechcraft Debonair plane was discovered by search and rescue teams on Thursday, July 17, according to The missing flyer took off from the town of Wangaratta in Victoria on Tuesday and was en route to Moruya on the New South Wales coast, around 350 miles to the east, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), The wreckage of the aircraft, which had been missing since Tuesday, was found at around 4 p.m. on Thursday, and search teams are now scouring the Snowy Mountains for any signs of him. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'About 4.35 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15 2025, emergency services were notified of a possible plane crash in the vicinity of Dargals Trail, Snowy Valleys,' the New South Wales Police Force wrote in a release. 'The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) was notified by Air Services Australia that a plane took off from Victoria, bound for Moruya Airport; however, it never arrived.' 'About 8.30 a.m. today (Wednesday, July 16), the multi-agency search resumed, involving officers attached to NSWS Police Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, State Emergency Services, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Snowy Hydro,' officials added. 'The AMSA Challenger rescue jet and two helicopters, from Victoria and Sydney conducted an overhead search,' the release continued. 'About 4.00 p.m. today (Thursday, July 17, 2025), a rescue helicopter located what is believed to be the crashed plane near the plane's last known GPS location.' Authorities concluded, 'NSW Police Force now have carriage of this matter with investigations to continue tomorrow (Friday, July 18, 2025).' Dan Gilllis, duty manager at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) also told ABC, "The trails are heavily snowed in. It's very rugged terrain and very steep alpine terrain that they're trying to navigate through." PEOPLE has contacted NSW Police Force and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) for further comment According to ABC, Stephen's wife Lynda Leigh described her husband as an experienced pilot. "Unfortunately, David disappeared on his flight home on Tuesday after having his aircraft inspected," she told the outlet. '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.' "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 added. Stephens was also a member of the Frog's Hollow Flyers aero club. Tony Rettke, the club's president, told ABC that he had serviced his plane at Wangaratta before take off. "[It would] only be a minor amount of work, the aircraft was immaculate, an incredibly beautiful aircraft, well maintained," he said. 'He must have done everything he needed to do, just with a basic service, probably an oil change, the usual stuff that goes with 100 hours, and he headed off that afternoon." Stephens is set to retire from his career in accounting in two months, reported ABC. Read the original article on People
Sky News AU
17-07-2025
- Climate
- Sky News AU
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
