A light plane reported missing since Saturday morning has been found near Bulman in the Northern Territory.
The single-engine plane, with a pilot and one passenger, took off from Nhulunbuy (Gove) around 8:30am on Saturday, headed for Katherine.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement that two people had died when the wreckage of the aircraft was located on Sunday afternoon.
"AMSA conducted a search for the missing aircraft with two persons on board using dedicated search and rescue aircraft from Cairns and Essendon and additional Northern Territory-based fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft," it said.
"The wreckage of the aircraft, with two fatalities, was found this afternoon approximately, 250 kilometres north-east of Katherine."
A statement from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell, released on Monday, confirmed it had launched an investigation into the crash.
He said debris from the crash had been "scattered over a large distance".
"A team of transport safety investigators from the ATSB's Brisbane and Canberra offices are preparing to deploy to the accident site where they will commence the on-site phase of the investigation," Mr Mitchell said.
On Sunday, NT Police said in a statement that the "remote location" of the plane would delay the investigation into the cause of the suspected accident.
"Due to the remote location of the single-engine plane and the investigation by Northern Territory Police being in its infancy, no further information will be available today," the statement said.
The Northern Territory has seen heavy rainfall and flooding in the past few days, as former tropical cyclone Ellie continues moving inland, after making landfall late on Thursday.
