The body of a gyrocopter pilot has been found in central Queensland after a teenage boy spotted it flying very low, it's engine apparently failing.
Authorities are working to recover the 78-year-old man's body after the 14-year-old boy saw it flying near his family's property in the Baffle Creek area, north of Bundaberg, on Wednesday.
He reported the sighting on Thursday, and search crews found the pilot's body in the same area on Friday morning.
The teenager told authorities he heard the engine making an unusual noise before he lost sight of the aircraft. He believed he later heard the engine cut out entirely.
The pilot had taken off from Booyan Airstrip north of Bundaberg around 1.45pm on Wednesday, bound for a property near Yeppoon, but never arrived.
"Sadly, the pilot was found deceased at the scene. His family has been informed," the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said in a statement on Friday.
The authority thanked the boy for helping them identify the crash scene.
"The information provided by this young man was exactly what our officers needed to narrow the search and find the missing aircraft. He showed great initiative and responsibility in reporting what he saw to AMSA," Response Centre Manager Alan Lloyd said.
