As many as four people are feared dead after a helicopter used for movies disappeared from radar in wild weather.
The helicopter was last heard from when the pilot requested a routine visual flight rule navigation half an hour before disappearing from radar at 6.49pm on Friday near Anna Bay in Port Stephens.
The VH-UVC had flown from Coffs Harbour and was expected in the Hunter Valley for refuelling but when it disappeared from radar a search was launched by police, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Volunteer Marine Rescue.
It disappeared only 26 minutes after taking off.
A spokesman for Australian Maritime Safety Authority confirmed to
The Daily Telegraph they had found debris but no people have been found.
Flight tracking data has indicated the helicopter was travelling at 70 knots and 3500ft before falling at 154 knots.
A Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service spokesman told the
Newcastle Herald they had continued their search well after sunset.
'Our aircraft is still up in the air in that area after the report of an aircraft crash,' he said at 9pm.
'There was a call through air traffic control at Williamtown, that they'd lost contact with an aircraft.'
At the time of the disappearance peak wind gusts of up to 125km/h were being recorded in the area along with an average wind speed of 80km/h to 90km/h.