Overview

• The remains of 74-year-old pilot David Stephens were recovered on July 18, three days after his Beechcraft Debonair failed to reach Moruya Airport.
• Search teams located the wreckage on July 17 about 10 km east of Khancoban near the plane’s last logged GPS position after weather forced repeated suspensions.
• A coordinated effort by AMSA’s Challenger jet, rescue helicopters, NSW Police, SES, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Snowy Hydro faced steep, snow-covered terrain.
• NSW Police have assumed carriage of the crash site, with Riverina district officers and specialist units overseeing evidence gathering and recovery work.
• The ATSB has begun a formal investigation to determine the cause of the crash and identify any wider safety lessons, with a preliminary report expected in roughly two months.