Missing NSW plane prompts major search after takeoff from Bankstown

A light aircraft vanished from radar shortly after take-off from Bankstown Airport in New South Wales on Thursday, triggering a major emergency response. The plane was returning from Victoria when it disappeared over Budawang National Park in the Southern Tablelands region, about 4:30 p.m. local time. The pilot, a man believed to be in his 60s, is unaccounted for. A distress beacon was detected from the aircraft during the flight.

Authorities said a search-and-rescue operation is under way, with initial support from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which dispatched a jet and a helicopter to assist. The operation was later handed to NSW Police. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau confirmed it was aware of the incident and gathering information. The plane is believed to have departed Bankstown around 11 a.m. on Thursday and had turned back over Victoria. The operator is understood to be Bankstown Flying School.

Police scanner audio captured by a viral news alert service described the moment resources were redirected toward a possible crash site in the Lake George District. A scanner said, 'All units inbound to the aircraft crash in the Lake George District.'

Authorities have described the aircraft as equipped with a ballistic parachute, and noted that if the parachute had not deployed there is an explosive release mechanism located between the pilot and the rear of the aircraft. The plane is believed to have been operated by Bankstown Flying School. No wreckage has been confirmed yet, and search efforts continue across the Budawang National Park region and the Lake George District. More updates are expected as investigations proceed.