Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:36 pmQUOTE
Mexican pilots killed in Canterbury plane crash
New 8:50PM Wednesday January 16, 2008
A small, fixed wing plane crashed in Canterbury today, killing its two occupants.
They were Mexican citizens who were in New Zealand to train with the Canterbury Aero Club.
Both held private pilot licences and one was preparing to sit part of a commercial licence test tomorrow.
The flight they were on today was a final practice run for the cross-country test where a pilot must navigate between two points.
The plane, a Piper Cherokee, had departed from Hokitika and was due to arrive at Christchurch around midday.
Shortly after 1pm it was reported missing and a search and rescue operation was launched in the area of the plane's last reported position, about 16km north west of Lake Coleridge.
Searchers called in the Westpac Trust Rescue Helicopter and three fixed wing planes.
"The plane was found by a Canterbury Aero Club fixed wing aircraft that we were using to help with the search.
He called the rescue helicopter and asked them to investigate what looked like some wreckage in a valley," said Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand's John Dickson.
"The helicopter was able to land 100m from the wreckage and a paramedic was able to establish that, regretfully, there were no survivors."
The Civil Aviation Authority will head to the site tomorrow to begin an investigation into the crash.
"We have really got no indication of what has caused it. We do know it was near perfect flying conditions, so why it crashed, we don't know," Mr Dickson said.
Southern police communications said the pilots' bodies would be recovered tomorrow.
Police are in the process of contacting their families.[/quote]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story....jectid=10487214
That sucks
New 8:50PM Wednesday January 16, 2008
A small, fixed wing plane crashed in Canterbury today, killing its two occupants.
They were Mexican citizens who were in New Zealand to train with the Canterbury Aero Club.
Both held private pilot licences and one was preparing to sit part of a commercial licence test tomorrow.
The flight they were on today was a final practice run for the cross-country test where a pilot must navigate between two points.
The plane, a Piper Cherokee, had departed from Hokitika and was due to arrive at Christchurch around midday.
Shortly after 1pm it was reported missing and a search and rescue operation was launched in the area of the plane's last reported position, about 16km north west of Lake Coleridge.
Searchers called in the Westpac Trust Rescue Helicopter and three fixed wing planes.
"The plane was found by a Canterbury Aero Club fixed wing aircraft that we were using to help with the search.
He called the rescue helicopter and asked them to investigate what looked like some wreckage in a valley," said Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand's John Dickson.
"The helicopter was able to land 100m from the wreckage and a paramedic was able to establish that, regretfully, there were no survivors."
The Civil Aviation Authority will head to the site tomorrow to begin an investigation into the crash.
"We have really got no indication of what has caused it. We do know it was near perfect flying conditions, so why it crashed, we don't know," Mr Dickson said.
Southern police communications said the pilots' bodies would be recovered tomorrow.
Police are in the process of contacting their families.[/quote]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story....jectid=10487214
That sucks
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:53 pmPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:06 pmReally sad to see yes. The Alps and any Mountainous terrain can be un-forgiving unfortunatly in light aircraft even with perfect conditions - so many illusions and hidden rotor turbulence are everywhere and without proper mountain flying training it can sometimes lead to accidents like this. Does anyone know if CAC run a Mountian Flying course?
Oh and what sort of Cherokee was that? a 140?
Oh and what sort of Cherokee was that? a 140?
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 3:14 pmLJB Piper PA-28-181
According to the CAA register
According to the CAA register
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:12 pmOh i heard about that crash, i remember last year those 2 planes collided aswell!