Bob Bramley, a 24-year-old pilot who became the youngest person to fly solo around Australia at 16, is feared dead after the charter aircraft he was flying crashed into the Gulf of Carpentaria off the Northern Territory. The incident has prompted a major search and an aviation safety investigation, while tributes have highlighted his work raising awareness of youth suicide and his ambition to build an aviation career.

Bramley’s twin-engined Beechcraft Baron disappeared on Tuesday after leaving Gove Airport for Numbulwar, where it was due at 11.50am; a witness later reported seeing it crash near Isle Woodah, about 50km north-west of Alyangula. Police, Aboriginal rangers, aircraft, a helicopter and divers have searched the area, finding debris but not his body, and Air Frontier has grounded its Beechcraft Baron fleet as a precaution. In 2019, Bramley completed a 15,000km, 40-stop solo flight around Australia, raising more than $20,000 for Beyond Blue.