Plane crash victims thought to be on test flight

The two men who died in a plane crash at Raglan on Monday were believed to be visiting the seaside town during a test flight.

The Herald understands the owner was in the process of selling his VansRV4 light aircraft and was taking a prospective buyer on a trial flight.

It is believed the owner got his father to carry out the test flight. The owner’s father, who died, lives in the Marlborough region.

A police spokeswoman said it was believed the aircraft had taken off from the Tasman area in the South Island and was headed to Auckland.

It is not known who was flying the plane when it crashed.

“Raglan’s a very popular place to fly to. You can land and walk across the bridge to the shops and cafes,” a source said.

According to CAA information, the victim’s son has owned the plane since June last year and been flying for about two years.

Police said they were investigating on behalf of the coroner.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Authority investigators have arrived at the scene of the crash in the mudflats of the Kaitoke Estuary.

The plane the pair were flying in was a Vans-RV4, one of the most popular light aircraft in America, Australia and other parts of the world, an industry insider said.

Western Waikato police area Inspector Andrew Mortimore said they ended up being “reasonably lucky” in getting the two occupants out before the plane was surrounded by water.

The tide wasn’t as deep as they expected though, less than the approximate 30cm to 60cm.

Crews also picked up vital evidence for both CAA and forensic staff who would try to build a picture of how fast the plane was going before it slammed into the soft terrain.

Mortimore confirmed part of the plane was embedded in the mud on impact.

It was then secured by firefighters who used a rope to ensure it didn’t move overnight.

Mortimore said they were still working on the occupants’ identification and liaising with next of kin. He would not be drawn on the gender of the deceased or where they were from.

Residents and witnesses on Monday recalled seeing the plane performing a “strange manoeuvre” before careering to the ground.

A group of trainee pilots saw the plane performing an aerial manoeuvre before they lost sight of it.

They thought the plane was flying “pretty low for what it was doing”.

They said they didn’t see it crash and weren’t sure what had happened but believed it had somehow lost control.

The group said they were trainee pilots and the crash had freaked them out “a bit”.