A fake distress call made to Brisbane air traffic control on Monday saw police, a rescue helicopter and a Singapore Airlines flight searching for plane wreckage that didn’t exist.

A man made the radio call at 11.30pm on Monday saying he was experiencing problems with his landing gear and hydraulic equipment, according to Fairfax media.

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Authorities attempted to keep the man calm before he started panicking, saying there was fire in the engine and the plane was going down.

“I can’t see the panel. I can’t see the panel,” the man said on the recording.

“We’re gone, We’re gone, We’re gone. Tell them I love them. We’re gone. We’re gone.”

Police and a Queensland government rescue helicopter began looking searching the Sunshine Coast for the non-existent crash site, while a Singapore Airlines flight and a Toll Freight plane flew over the alleged crash site but couldn’t find anything.

Authorities identified the call was a hoax several hours later, with an Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokesman reporting several hoax calls were made on Monday night.