Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
Laine Clark

Human remains recovered from plane crash site

Two people died when an aircraft went down at Pioneer Valley near Mackay on October 28. (HANDOUT/RACQ CQ RESCUE)

Human remains have been recovered more than two weeks after a plane crashed into a north Queensland mountain.

Two people were killed when the aircraft went down at Pioneer Valley near Mackay on October 28.

The wreckage was spotted by a rescue helicopter hours later and a crew member was winched down into the difficult terrain but found no one had survived.

A 73-year-old man and his 75-year-old wife were believed to be in the aircraft.

A recovery effort was launched within days with crews expected to be winched into the crash site.

However, Queensland Police confirmed human remains had only been recovered recently.

Windy conditions caused an initial postponement before crews had to access the area by foot due to the challenging location.

"We were able to reach the site within the past several days," police told AAP.

"A site examination was conducted in that time and police were able to recover human remains.

"The examination was done on foot, that's why it took some time. They had to go through some pretty rough, dangerous terrain."

A second expedition to the site is expected to be conducted in the next two weeks depending on the weather.

The remains are yet to be formally identified.

The plane had taken off from Townsville and was bound for Mackay, where the couple were believed to be locals.

Police said the family had told officers that the 73-year-old man owned the plane and had 30 years of flying experience.

The Australian Transport and Safety Bureau 9s investigating the cause of the SOCATA TB20 Trinidad single-engine plane crash.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.