The body of helicopter pilot Michael Mehrtens will be taken to Christchurch today for a post-mortem examination.
It was recovered late yesterday afternoon during an underwater search at Lake Sumner in North Canterbury, three weeks after Mr Mehrtens's helicopter crashed.
The 35-year-old was the only occupant of the helicopter that crashed near Breaksea Bay on Monday May 21 while spraying gorse for the Department of Conservation.
A week later a Navy remotely operated vehicle (ROV) found the wreckage at a depth of 127m but there was no sign of the pilot.
A search on Sunday using a radial sonar device located an object of interest among helicopter debris on the lake bed.
