The lightyear plane en route from Tasmania to New South Wales suddenly disappeared, without any distress signals or radio communication, and has been compared to mysterious disappearances such as MH370, causing concern and alarm.
The two-seat plane was carrying an elderly couple, a veteran 70-year-old pilot and a wife over 60 years old, both of whom are Tasmania residents.
The couple departed from George Town airport at around 12:35 am on August 2. The route is expected to include a stop in Victoria before continuing to Hillston Airport near Condobolin in mid-west New South Wales.
However, these passengers did not arrive at the destination and their relatives reported it at around 5pm the same day when they did not receive any contact information.
The Australian Maritime Safety Administration (AMSA) has launched a large-scale search for the plane, coordinating with aerial, sea and on-land resources across northern Tasmania, the Bass Strait and southern Victoria.
The effort includes: Tasmania Police's Polair 72 helicopter; An AMSA rescue rocket searching in the Strait; Victoria Police vessels and civilian assets such as the Spirit of Tasmania ferry.
Tasmania Police Inspectorate Nick Clark emphasized that the pilot is very experienced and actively participates in George Town air club. However, the plane was a relatively new accident for the pilot, having only been purchased 3-4 months before the disappearance. No radio calls or communications were made before the plane crashed.
The disappearance has at least two strange similarities to Malaysia Airlines' disappearance of MH370. No first aid signal was sent before it went missing; The plane disappeared over a wide area of sea (over the Bass and Indian Ocean), making search efforts difficult.
Despite their different scale and circumstances, both incidents highlight persistent aviation mysteries and possible dramas that take place quickly, without any warnings.
The Bass Strait, commonly known locally as the Bass Strait Triangle, is compared to the Bermuda Triangle, where the mysterious disappearance of plane and ship cases are located, which has fueled speculation. The Strait has long been linked to missing aircraft or vessels, although many were later determined to be caused by maritime or mechanical forces.
The Bass Strait poses significant challenges: Rural (average depth of about 50m), extending about 300km, with unpredictable large flows and waves. These conditions often cause debris to scatter, making it difficult for search teams. Combined with bad weather, the change in wind direction near King Island and Flinders Island creates a dangerous environment for search activities.
The latest disappearance evokes other unresolved aviation and maritime mysteries in Australian waters: Plotter Frederick Valentich (1978) went missing after reporting an unidentified flying object (UFO) flying with him. Activist within within within within the contestants twice twice floated into the contestants' channel to protest the dam construction and were never found. MV Blythe Star (1973), a ship missing in this sea area and has not yet been found.
