Police have released the names of two Tasmanians aboard a light aircraft that vanished during a flight to New South Wales four days ago.
72-year-old Gregory Vaughan and his partner Kim Worner, 66, from Deloraine took off from George Town airport at 12:45pm Saturday in their distinctive green two-seater Bristell S-LSA.
The couple were accompanied by their dog Molly and were bound for central New South Wales via regional Victoria.
Family members raised the alarm on Saturday evening when the aircraft failed to arrive as scheduled, prompting a major search operation across northern Tasmania.
“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.
A police helicopter crew swept the coastline between George Town and Turners Beach on Tuesday but found no trace of the missing aircraft.
Rough weather conditions and low cloud cover hampered visibility during the search, while marine vessels were unable to launch due to dangerous sea conditions.
Inspector Clark said the search would continue on Wednesday.
“Significant resources have been utilised in the search and Pol Air will continue to be used over the next two days, at which time the search efforts will be re-assessed based on any possible new information that becomes available,” he said.
Police are appealing for public assistance in the search effort, particularly from anyone who may have spotted the aircraft or unusual debris.
