Young Fonterra talent lost in microlight crash
The death of a talented young Fonterra employee in a microlight crash has sent ‘‘shockwaves’’ through a rural Otago community.
The crash happened near Kaka Point in the Catlins on Sunday about 10am, killing Jenna Frances Craig, 26, and Thomas John Evans, 30, of south Otago.
Fonterra head of farm source for Otago/Southland Mark Robinson said Craig was a technical sales representative for the company and had worked with the firm for nearly three years.
‘‘Jenna was young and dynamic, and really talented.’’
Craig had massive potential, and was well liked and respected with her engagement with farmers and colleagues, he said.
‘‘Understandably everyone [at work] is devastated.’’
The crash had sent ‘‘shockwaves’’ through the town Balclutha.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) safety investigator Steve Rogers said staff were ‘‘gathering the pieces of the jigsaw’’ to establish what had caused the light plane to crash on a farm off the OwakaBalclutha highway.
No debris had been found outside the 50 metre radius of the wreckage.
Rogers said he could not comment on possible causes of the crash or the route the plane had taken.
Balclutha police Sergeant Martin Bull said no flight plan had been lodged. ‘‘We’re speaking to eyewitnesses and people who saw the plane up in the air.’’
Police were helping reconstruct the plane’s journey from take-off at a private property to where it was seen flying over the Kaka Point area before it crashed.
The CAA’s investigation, which is joint with police and overseen by the coroner, would take several months. The scene examination was expected to be completed today.