The family of a young pilot and youth suicide prevention advocate has paid tribute to their “courageous” dreamer after he went missing in a plane crash off the Northern Territory coast.
Robert ‘Bob’ Bramley, 23, from Kindred near Devonport, was the sole occupant of an Air Frontier plane that crashed into the Gulf of Carpentaria near Groote Eylandt on August 25.
Local police today confirmed they no longer held hope of finding him alive.
His family said they were heartbroken but wanted to remember the ideals he championed.
“There are no words, deeds or silver linings that make this any easier, but our beloved Bob is gone,” they said.
“For the past year, Bob had been flying for a charter company in the Northern Territory but on Tuesday morning, his plane went down in the Gulf of Carpentaria.”
“Bob was a beacon of hope for our family, friends and community. We cannot comprehend this great loss in our lives.”
At 16, he circumnavigated Australia solo in a small plane to raise awareness of youth suicide prevention, speaking to dozens of communities along the way.
He went on to found the mental health initiative Surviving Turbulence.
His family described him as a “dreamer who never let fear, problems or pessimists stop him from reaching his goals”.
“He was dedicated to helping people get through dark times and dream as big as he did,” they said.
Bramley earned his commercial pilot licence and received his gold wings in 2024 before joining the aviation industry the following year.
“He worked relentlessly to fund his training, get his license and build a career in the clouds,” his family said.
They said he continued gaining qualifications and climbing the ranks while building a “bright future”.
“We celebrate a life lived to the fullest. There will never be another Bob Bramley,” they said.
The plane was on a non-commercial repositioning flight from Gove to Numbulwar when it went down about 50 kilometres north-west of Alyangula.
Search mission coordinator Acting Sergeant Nathan Conelius said crews located aircraft debris in the search area on Wednesday.
Air Frontier said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident and had grounded all its Beechcraft Baron aircraft as a precaution.
Search and rescue teams are continuing to search for Bramley’s body and the aircraft, while the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigates the crash.
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