One year after experienced pilot Gregory Vaughan and his partner Kim Worner vanished during a flight from George Town, the mystery of their disappearance remains unsolved.
The couple, aged 72 and 66 respectively, took off from George Town airport at 12:45pm on August 2, 2025 in their distinctive green two-seater Bristell S-LSA, bound for central New South Wales via regional Victoria.
They were accompanied by their dog Molly and have not been heard from since.
Family members raised the alarm that Saturday evening when the aircraft failed to arrive, triggering one of the largest aerial and ground searches in Tasmanian history.
The search involved Tasmania Police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, volunteer pilots, helicopters and drones.
The Spirit of Tasmania was diverted to the aircraft’s last recorded location before being relieved from the operation.
Rough weather, low cloud cover and dangerous sea conditions hampered the search in the days that followed.
No trace of the aircraft or the Deloraine couple has ever been found.
“The two people on the plane have not been in contact with anyone or aviation authorities since they left George Town,” Tasmania Police Inspector Nick Clark said at the time.
Stephen Ross, treasurer of the George Town Airport Association and a friend of the missing couple, told ABC Northern Tasmania the anniversary has been a difficult time for the local community.
“It’s still not as raw emotionally as it was when it first happened, but there’s still emotion around it,” he said.
Ross said concerns were raised almost immediately when Vaughan failed to make his usual radio calls after departure.
Local pilots took to the air before the official search began.
Ross described Vaughan as someone who had spent his entire career in aviation, starting as a tradesman in the United States before moving into engine manufacturing as an engineering and safety expert.
The couple had retired to Tasmania, where Vaughan built a hangar at the airport.
No new information or technology breakthroughs have emerged in the past 12 months.
Ross urged anyone on Tasmania’s northern coast or around the Flinders Island chain who notices wreckage or a light green item washed ashore to contact police.
