Gregory (Greg) VAUGHAN and Kim WORNER
Gregory (Greg) VAUGHAN and Kim WORNER
The couple missing since Saturday on a flight from Tasmania to New South Wales have been identified.
In a statement, police said Gregory Vaughan, 72, and his partner Kim Worner, 66, from Deloraine — and their dog Molly — were flying a "light sport aircraft that departed George Town Airport at 12.45pm Saturday".
Police said the couple's plane, a "two-seater Bristell S-LSA in distinctive green colour", did not arrive at its destination in central NSW as scheduled and family members raised the alarm on Saturday evening.
No distress signal or "any other contact was received from the plane after its departure", police said.
Inspector Nick Clark said Tasmania Police would continue searching on Wednesday.
"Significant resources have been utilised in the search and [police] 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.
"The longer Gregory and Kim are missing, the greater the concerns are for their welfare."
"The best-case scenario, we can only really hope for, is they have made land somewhere."
Inspector Nick Clark said helicopter sweeps of Tasmania's north coast would continue over the coming days.
"If anyone has information that could assist the search, has seen a plane matching this description, or noticed anything such as unusual debris on land or in the water, they should contact Tasmania Police on 131 444."
Inclement weather and low cloud have complicated search conditions, while boats did not go out on Tuesday the water due to the rough conditions.
George Town Airport Association president David Brewster said the couple had been involved in aviation for "many years".
He said Mr Vaughan was a former secretary of the association and had been a "major contributor" to the airport in recent years.
"There are those who always came along and always participate, and Greg was one of those,"he said.
He said the aviation fraternity was tight-knit, and that people across the country would be impacted by the couple's disappearance.
"I'm resigned to the reality that the likelihood of them being found alive is diminishing quite rapidly," Mr Brewster said.
"The search is still going on … until that winds down, there's still hope."
It was a mild day on the northern Tasmanian coast when a couple and their dog climbed into a small green aeroplane and flew away.
But alarms sounded when pilot Gregory Vaughan, 72, his partner, Kim Worner, 66, and their dog, Molly, failed to arrive at their destination in central New South Wales four hours later.
Despite an extensive search across Bass Strait and nearby islands, there has been no trace of the missing trio or their plane since the Saturday flight a week ago.
It has left many questioning how, in 2025, an aircraft and its occupants can simply disappear.
Last Saturday at 12:45pm, Mr Vaughan and Ms Worner departed from George Town airport, about an hour north of their home in Deloraine, in a two-seater Bristell S-LSA plane purchased a few months earlier.
They were due to make a fuel stop in regional Victoria, before continuing to Hillston in New South Wales, west of Condobolin.
George Town Airport Association president David Brewster said Mr Vaughan had been planning the journey for some time and texted a friend before leaving, telling him he was all set to go.
But Mr Brewster said the friend sensed trouble when Mr Vaughan's departure time came and went without a departure call being heard on the radio.
Mr Brewster said he and the friend contacted Airservices Australia at about 1:15pm, after noting the plane had left the airport.
They then prepared their own planes to conduct a search for Mr Vaughan's aircraft.
The formal alarm was raised by a family member after 5pm, when the travellers failed to land at Hillston airport.
An official aerial and marine search began soon afterwards.
Police said Mr Vaughan had not made a distress call and believed there were no active tracking devices on board.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the pilot made no contact with authorities during the flight.
"The best-case scenario we can only really hope for is they have made land somewhere," Tasmania Police Inspector Nick Clark said on Tuesday.
Following a comprehensive review, police have formally suspended the search for a light plane that went missing last month from northern Tasmania with two people on board.
Tasmania Police Inspector Craig Fox said extensive search operations had been conducted for the missing plane since August 2 in Tasmania’s north, along the northern coastline, over the Furneaux islands group and extending into Bass Strait.
“Considerable search efforts have been undertaken, utilising resources such as the Tasmania Police helicopter for aerial searching and police vessels out on the water, but unfortunately the light plane, and its two occupants and their dog, have not been located,” Inspector Fox said.
“A thorough review has been conducted on the Search and Rescue response, and no new search areas have been identified.
“As a result, the search for the missing light plane has been formally suspended.”
Gregory Vaughan, 72, and his partner Kim Worner, 66, from Deloraine, were in a light sport aircraft that took off from George Town airport about 12.45pm on Saturday, August 2. The plane did not arrive at its destination in central NSW as scheduled, and family members raised the alarm on the evening of August 2.
“Inquiries so far indicate the two people on the plane had not been in contact with anyone, or aviation authorities, since they left George Town,” Inspector Fox said.
“Flight data regarding the aircraft, and communications, will be part of the ongoing investigation.”
Inspector Fox said Tasmania Police had been in constant contact with members of the missing couple’s family and they have been informed that the search has been formally suspended.
“There is no evidence to suggest the circumstances of the missing plane are suspicious however, as with any missing persons case, police will continue to investigate any new information received in the hope of providing some closure for the family,” Inspector Fox said.
Tasmania Police would like to thank all people that have assisted in the search or provided information to police.
If anyone locates any suspicious debris on land or on water, then please contact police on 131 444.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.