Police scale back aerial search as plane crash debris found on sea floor

Northern Territory police divers have found what they believe to be part of the wreckage of a light aircraft that crashed near Groote Eylandt on the sea floor in remote Northern Territory waters. The pilot, 23-year-old Bob Bramley, remains unaccounted-for and is believed to be deceased. What's next? Police say they will today scale back aerial searches for Mr Bramley, with full search and recovery efforts likely to be suspended by the end of today. Northern Territory police divers have located debris on the sea floor in the remote Gulf of Carpentaria believed to be part of a light aircraft that crashed in the area on Tuesday. Police have said he was the sole occupant when the plane went down. As the search entered its fourth day, police said they were scaling back aerial searches and instead focusing their efforts on sonar searches and targeted dive missions. An NT Police spokesperson said during the search yesterday, divers located "aircraft debris on the sea floor" including "components believed to form part of the aircraft airframe". "Multiple suspected aircraft components were [also] located and recovered from the surface throughout the day across a broad area," they said in a statement. "The majority consisted of lightweight material, including foam and sections of seat cushioning." Remoteness, predators challenge searchers The ocean around Groote Eylandt is notoriously difficult to search, not only because of its vastness and remoteness, but because of the deadly predators that inhabit the waters. Speaking to the media yesterday, Acting Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said the search had been made all the more difficult due to the presence of "tiger sharks and crocs". "It's a hard search," he said. Alongside police divers, the effort to try to recover Mr Bramley is being helped by local Groote Eylandt Indigenous ranger group, the Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers. Search mission coordinator Acting Sergeant Nathan Conelius said today the decision to scale back aerial searches was made because "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," he said. "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." Mr Bramley's family released a statement sharing their heartbreak yesterday, in which they paid tribute to the young man who started flying as a teenager, with his 15,000 km solo journey circumnavigating Australia captured in an episode of Australian Story in 2021.