A helicopter crash has claimed the life of a pilot after the aircraft failed to return from a routine flight in a remote part of northern Australia.

The fatal incident happened near Kowanyama, a small community on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland .

Emergency crews launched a large-scale search just after 7.30pm on Wednesday when the Robinson R22 chopper did not return to a nearby homestead in Yagoona, Queensland Police Service (QPS) said.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) deployed its Challenger Jet, while the Rescue 510 helicopter was also sent into the air in an effort to locate the missing aircraft.

By 8.30am Thursday, the wreckage was found about 7km south-east of Yagoona.

The pilot, a 27-year-old man and the only person on board, was located decea

See Full Page