Farewell for pilot as body retrieved

A passionate family man, skilled pilot and valued employee has been farewelled at the Nelson Aero Club after rescuers won their seven-day battle to wrest his body from Mt Taranaki.

The bodies of pilot Wayne Stratford, 41, and Air Nelson engineer John Hoskin, 63, were freed from the wreck of the Piper Seneca aircraft and moved down the mountain on Tuesday afternoon.

The Flight Corporation plane had crashed during a charter flight between New Plymouth and Nelson a week earlier.

Close friend and pastor Tony Murray told the farewell gathering in Nelson that Mr Stratford was always supportive of his friends and family.

"He had a boyish grin and could change the situation from the mundane into something unexpected."

His wife, Juanita, and five children remembered Mr Stratford as a dedicated father who was passionate about his family.

"He was kind and funny and he always made me laugh," said Mr Stratford's son, Aaron, 11.

"I'm grateful for having him as a father."

During the service, a flyover of small aircraft from the Aero Club and Flight Corporation paid tribute.

As the farewell was being held, an 11-strong party worked for nine hours on Mt Taranaki hacking at snow, ice and aircraft wreckage perched precariously on the slippery southern crater wall.

Sergeant Bruce Irvine, of Search and Rescue, said the recovery of the bodies had been "really treacherous".

Mr Hoskin's brother, Peter Hoskin, of New Plymouth, said the family were relieved his body had been recovered.

Transport Accident Investigation Commission inspector John Goddard, who spent six hours at the crash site on Tuesday, said it was too soon to identify the cause of the accident.

- NZPA