Two people have died after a light aircraft crashed in a remote area of the Nelson region on Tuesday, 1News reported. Police were told shortly before midday that the plane, which had left Nelson Airport at 9.10am, was overdue, and Maritime New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre led the search.
The wreckage was found in rugged country south of Castor Peak, near the boundary between the Nelson and Marlborough regions. Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said the four-seat Cessna had climbed to 3,100 feet before suddenly dropping to 1,800 feet and disappearing from radar near the Bryant Range, about 35km north-east of the city. Emergency services are recovering the bodies and examining the crash site, and police will investigate alongside the Civil Aviation Authority. The victims had not been named.
Source: 1News