The plane had crashed into the sea 8km off the coast from Jibbon Point located in the Royal National Park. The cargo plane had taken off at 11:30pm from Sydney Airport on a regular mail delivery run to Brisbane. Shortly after take off the plane had veered off course and the pilot had reported to air traffic control that he was having minor problems. The plane had disappeared from radar screens and a local fisherman had reported seeing the plane burst into flames and the fall from the sky.

A search and rescue operation ensued and by midnight multiple helicopters could be heard overpassing Bundeena and the surrounds of the Royal National Park. The helicopters were in constant search  in the Bundeena area of the plane and pilot til about 2:30am when the search then focused offshore.

The plane wreck was eventually detected by HMAS Diamontina, a minesweeper with sonar equipment, which happened to be in the area at the time (Note: it was later determined this was not the wreck and the plane still has not been found). By morning debris from the wreckage including mail and parcels had been found floating from the wreck site. No signs of the pilot have been found and the search was called off by mid afternoon with the expectation he had been trapped in the plane.