ATSB releases preliminary report into young pilot's NT crash
Fishermen witnessed young Tasmanian pilot Bob Bramley's plane crash in waters off the Northern Territory in August "at very high speed", a report has revealed.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today released its preliminary report into the crash in the Gulf of Carpentaria on August 25 this year, which is believed to have killed 23-year-old Bramley.
Northern Territory Police conducted extensive marine and air searches at the time, which recovered parts of the plane, but Bramley has never been found.
At the time, 23-year-old Bob Bramley was working as a charter company pilot. (Supplied.)
As a teenager, he became a passionate advocate for suicide prevention, and sought to raise awareness by becoming the youngest person to circumnavigate Australia solo by plane.
Friends and family expressed their shock and sadness in the wake of the crash, remembering Bramley as a "beacon of hope", and for his love of flying.
The ATSB report detailed the circumstances of the August crash, but noted the investigation is continuing and that a final report will be published at its conclusion.
Fishers found plane parts in sea after crash
The report, which refers to "the pilot" but does not identify Bramley, details his movements on the morning of August 25, as he prepared to fly between the small communities of Gove and Nambulwar in the Northern Territory.
At the time, Bramley had been working as a pilot for aviation operator Air Frontier for more than a year, and had been the company's senior base pilot for the Arnhem region since April.
The report noted that after fuelling the plane and lodging a flight plan, the Beechcraft 58 Baron plane departed from the Gove Airport at about 11am, with only the pilot on board.
"The flight plan for the return to Gove indicated four passengers were to be on board," the report noted.
The ATSB's map of Bob Bramley's final flight on August 25, 2026. (ATSB/Google Earth)
About half an hour later, at 11:27am, fishermen in a boat south-west of Isle Woodah in the west of the Gulf of Carpentaria watched the plane pass overhead.
"The witnesses observed the aircraft descending toward the water at an estimated 35–45° nose-down attitude, with its wings-level,"
the report said.
"They expected the aircraft to pull up; however, it did not change trajectory, and it impacted the water at very high speed.
"The witnesses motored to the impact point and found a fuel/oil slick on the water surface along with many small floating fragments of shattered airframe."
NT Police image of wreckage underwater at the crash site. (NT Police)
No audio recording of cockpit before crash
The report noted that the Baron was not fitted with, and was not required to have, a flight data recorder or a cockpit voice recorder.
The ATSB said the flight wasn't detected by radar, and data tracking the flight was recorded by Bramley's iPad, which it was transmitting to the online platform OzRunways.
The final data point was transmitted at 11:24am, about 23 kilometres north of the crash site.
Bramley made two radio broadcasts during taxi and take-off, and phone records indicated "maintained a messaging stream with their partner" throughout the flight.
"The records identified that the final message was sent from the pilot at 11:21 while the aircraft was in the cruise,"
the report said.
The report noted Bramley's qualifications to operate the Baron aircraft, that he held a valid medical certificate and that he had completed a multi-engine instrument proficiency check the previous month.
Bramley had more than 1,138 hours total flight time, more than 300 of which were in the Baron.
The Baron itself was initially built in 1978 and had been serviced most recently in June in Darwin.
The report noted no significant weather activity was observed on the day, consistent with the witnesses and other pilots flying in the area.
The report noted Bramley made two radio broadcasts during taxi and takeoff, and "maintained a messaging stream with their partner" throughout the flight. (Supplied: Lachlan Bennett)
Large parts of plane, including engine, found in sea floor
In August, NT Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley said the search for Bramley and the crash site had been particularly difficult, adding that "tiger sharks and crocs" had complicated efforts.
NT Police confirmed today human remains had not been found.
Police divers had to contend with sharks and crocodiles during search efforts. (Supplied: NT Police)
The ATSB report said diving operations recovered parts of the aircraft at a depth of 17 metres, and some of Bramley's personal items including his logbook, flight crew licence and "a significantly damaged iPad".
"The diving confirmed the aircraft had separated into many large and small fragments, with that damage consistent with witness reports of a high-velocity impact into the water,"
the report said.
Included in the report was a photo of the plane's engine, which was found "embedded into the sea floor".
Other parts of the plane, including the cockpit area, parts of the wing, the fuselage and the vertical stabiliser were also found.
The ATSB said the investigation was ongoing, and that it will examine aircraft maintenance records, aircraft and pilot documentation, items recovered from the crash and similar occurrences.
A further report will be released at the end of the investigation.
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