KEY POINTS:
Wairoa Aero Club secretary Richard Tollison said today he could not understand why two prominent members of the club would try to fly at night.
Darren McNay, 39 and Anthony Bell, 30, were killed when their aircraft crashed about 120m from the northern end of the Wairoa runway.
The two men, who were friends, left the Wairoa Aerodrome on a joyride about 3.15am today.
A friend on the ground raised the alarm when they failed to return after about an hour.
The two men were both experienced microlight pilots but police suspect drink may have been involved.
A rescue helicopter found wreckage of the microlight with the two victims around 7.30am.
Mr Tollison said the younger man was the club's instructor and the other the club president and their deaths would leave a big hole in the club, he told Radio New Zealand.
He said the microlight was more like a small plane with navigation lighting but he could still not explain why they would go out in poor weather in the middle of the night.
Aviation safety investigators are at the scene of the crash.
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said weather conditions were unfavourable for flying with heavy showers, reports of lightning, and patches of fog.
Next-of-kin had been informed and a formal identification would be carried out this afternoon.
- NZPA
