Plane vanishes in Australia: No distress signal detected, no traces even after 20 days

An airplane vanished in Australia on August 2 and has not been located ever since. A search operation has been underway since the plane went missing, but there are no signs of its location even after 20 days. Officials say the aircraft did not send a distress signal or initiate radio contact during its journey, Daily Star reported. The mystery has left everyone puzzled as several agencies scramble to locate the small plane that was carrying two passengers. It took off from Tasmania for New South Wales (NSW) in Australia on August 2 and was flying over the Bass Strait. Gregory Vaughan (72) and his partner, Kim Warner (66), and their dog, Molly, were on board. After taking off from George Town Airport around 12:45 pm, they were supposed to make a stop in Victoria before making their final stop at the Hillston Airport. However, when by 5 pm none of their family or friends had heard from the couple, they reached out to the concerned officials. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) initiated a wide search operation, with police boats, a helicopter and a ferry looking for the couple in northern Tasmania, the Bass Strait, and southern Victoria. Also Read: 'I sent goodbye messages': Plane from Greece spits out fire as scared passengers send 'final' messages

The plane sent no distress signal

George Town flight instructor Eugene Reid says the protocol for small aircraft is to inform air services before leaving the coast; otherwise, there is no way of knowing that someone took their plane out of the hangar and flew away. Local airports like George Town don't track individual planes, which makes the process necessary. Adding to the mystery is the fact that no automatic signals were sent out by the plane in case something did go wrong. The emergency satellite beacon should have been triggered if the plane had been in some kind of accident, but nothing was detected. Tasmania Police Inspector Nick Clark told the local media that the pilot was a prominent member of the local flying club and very experienced. However, the plane he was flying was purchased only about four months ago.

The case appears strangely similar to the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that vanished in 2014. The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board. It was flying over the South China Sea when it disappeared from radar and has not been found ever since. In that case as well, no mayday calls were made by the pilots.