Northern Territory Police have entered the fourth day of search and recovery operations following a fatal aircraft crash off Groote Eylandt earlier this week.
At around 11:40am on Tuesday 25 August 2026, a Beechcraft Baron aircraft crashed into the sea approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Alyangula while travelling from Gove to Numbulwar.
The aircraft had one person onboard, who sadly remains unaccounted for.
Day three operations yesterday involved extensive aerial, surface and underwater searches, with police divers locating aircraft debris on the seafloor near the reported crash site.
The Police Vessel Tasman Point departed Alyangula at approximately 5am with members of the Search and Rescue Section, including the Dive Unit, and conducted sonar searches around the aircraft’s reported splash point.
During a dive on a sonar target, police divers located debris on the seafloor, including components believed to form part of the aircraft airframe.
A Nautilus Aviation helicopter, carrying two police air observers, also conducted searches across areas identified as having the highest probability of detection based on drift modelling and previous search results.
Multiple suspected aircraft components were located and recovered from the surface throughout the day across a broad area. The majority consisted of lightweight material, including foam and sections of seat cushioning.
Search and recovery efforts have continued into day four today, with operations now concentrating on the area surrounding the aircraft’s reported impact zone.
The Search and Rescue Section will be supported by the Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers to conduct sonar searches and dive on identified targets.
Search Mission Coordinator, Acting Sergeant Nathan Conelius said the focus will be on locating and documenting significant aircraft wreckage and any other evidence that may assist investigators.
“The decision to scale back aerial searching follows three days of extensive operations and expert advice that the likelihood of locating the pilot through continued broad-area surface and aerial searching is now extremely low.
“Police will continue to assess the operation following today’s dive activities, with search and recovery efforts expected to be suspended following completion of the day four taskings, subject to the results of today’s operations.
“Police continue to liaise closely with the pilot’s family and are keeping them informed of developments and the ongoing search effort.
“Our thoughts remain with the pilot’s family and loved ones during what continues to be an incredibly difficult time.”
Media note: Video footage is available upon request.
