Pilot confirmed dead after light plane crashes near Normanton Airport

Police have recovered the body of a pilot following a fatal aviation incident near Normanton in Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria, after extreme weather and dangerous conditions delayed access to the crash site.

Emergency services were called just after 8pm on Friday, 6 February, following reports that a light aircraft had crashed approximately 800 metres north-west of Normanton Airport. Initial attempts to reach the site were hampered by flooding, heavy weather and marshland conditions, which made access by vehicle or boat impossible.

Officers were finally able to reach the crash site on foot early Sunday morning, where they located the body of a 32-year-old man from Clifton Beach in Cairns. Police believe he was the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft.

The aircraft, a Machjet International charter Beechcraft King Air B200, came down in a croc-infested marshland area that was knee-deep in floodwater. Police officers armed with rifles guarded colleagues during the recovery due to the presence of saltwater crocodiles in the area.

Queensland Police confirmed the crash site had also been affected by minor flooding of the Norman River, which peaked on Thursday, with the region surrounded by floodwaters for weeks. Storm activity was reported in the area on the night of the crash.

The impact sparked a small grass fire, briefly disrupting power supply for local residents.

Police will prepare a report for the Coroner and are assisting the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. ATSB investigators are expected to attend the site in coming days.

The ATSB has appealed for witnesses, urging anyone who saw or heard the aircraft or who has video footage from any stage of its flight to come forward.

Normanton, home to around 1,300 people, sits within a flood-prone zone near the Gulf of Carpentaria and is often cut off for months at a time during the wet season, along with nearby towns including Burketown and Karumba.