THEY TRAVELLED ACROSS AUSTRALIA TO BRING HOME THEIR DREAM PLANE — BUT NEVER MADE IT BACK
THEY TRAVELLED ACROSS AUSTRALIA TO BRING HOME THEIR DREAM PLANE — BUT NEVER MADE IT BACK
Pilot Revel Downing, 58, and his close friend William Simons, 63, died when a newly purchased light aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff near Scone, New South Wales. Their journey home ended before it had truly begun.
What should have been an exciting adventure for two aviation enthusiasts became a devastating tragedy on Friday, October 16, 2026.
Revel Downing, a 58-year-old pilot from Western Australia, and his 63-year-old friend had reportedly travelled across the country to purchase a small aircraft and fly it home.
But shortly after taking off near Scone Aerodrome in New South Wales, their journey came to a sudden and tragic end.
Emergency services were called to a paddock on Bunnan Road at approximately 1:55 p.m. Both men were found inside the aircraft and died at the scene, according to authorities.
For their families and friends, the loss has been heartbreaking. A trip built around a shared passion for flying ended in circumstances that investigators are still working to understand.
A DREAM JOURNEY THAT ENDED TOO SOON
The aircraft was a two-seat, kit-built Aeropup, reportedly purchased so the men could take it back to Western Australia.
Their plan was simple: collect the aircraft, take to the skies and begin the journey home.
Instead, the plane crashed only minutes after departing from the airfield.
Reports indicate that the aircraft had been airborne for just a short time before it came down in a nearby paddock. The exact sequence of events remains under investigation.
Revel was known in Western Australia’s recreational aviation community, and reports identified both men as experienced aviation enthusiasts.
Their story has resonated with fellow flyers because it began with something familiar to many people who love aviation: the excitement of discovering an aircraft, making it their own and imagining the journeys still to come.
INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
New South Wales Police established a crime scene at the crash site while officers investigated the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Recreational Aviation Australia and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau were notified, and a report was to be prepared for the coroner.
Police said it was too early to determine the cause. Weather conditions, possible mechanical problems and pilot-related factors were among the possibilities being considered, but no explanation had been confirmed.
Until investigators establish what happened, it would be premature to draw conclusions about the aircraft or the decisions made during the flight.
TWO LIVES REMEMBERED BEYOND THE HEADLINES
Behind the details of the crash are two men whose lives extended far beyond their final flight.
For those who knew Revel and his friend, the loss means facing the reality that a journey they expected to end at home instead ended in tragedy.
The aviation community has also been reminded how quickly a moment of excitement can turn into an unimaginable loss.
There are still questions about the aircraft’s final moments, and the families must now face a future neither could have anticipated when the trip began.
They set out across Australia to bring home a plane and pursue a passion they shared. They never made it back.Our thoughts are with the families, friends and fellow aviation enthusiasts mourning Revel Downing and William Simons.
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