Emergency services recovered a man’s body nearly 24 hours after a plane crashed in a national park. The incident occurred at Budawang National Park in Australia when an aircraft Emergency Location Transmitter was activated. Following the distress signal, a search and rescue operation was initiated to locate any potential missing or injured individuals from the crash.
Due to challenging accessibility, it took almost a day for search and rescue teams to locate and retrieve the body, believed to be that of a 60-year-old man. The New South Wales Police Force released a statement confirming the recovery of the pilot’s body, mentioning the sequence of events leading to the discovery.
The small recreational aircraft, which had departed from Bankstown with a single occupant, was on its way back to the airport when the crash occurred. Multiple agencies, including the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, NSW Toll Ambulance Helicopter, Fire and Rescue NSW, Rural Fire Service, and NSW Ambulance, collaborated in the search effort.
The crash site was spotted from the air the day the incident took place, but the rugged terrain and adverse weather conditions hindered immediate access by emergency personnel. The body, believed to be the pilot, was located the following day with the assistance of PolAir and Police Rescue, pending formal identification.
An investigation into the crash’s cause will be conducted by the Australian Transport Bureau (ATSB).