Final Air NZ crash report due on Friday

Seven bouquets of flowers, one for each of the men lost, left on the beach at Perpignan, France to remember those who died. Photo / Supplied

A final accident report will be released on Friday into the 2008 Air New Zealand crash off France's Mediterranean coast.

Paris-based Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses (BEA) has announced that the final report on the crash would be available from 4pm Paris time on Thursday (2am Friday New Zealand time).

The Air New Zealand plane lost control and crashed into the sea at Canet-Plage near Perpignan on November 28 2008, killing two Germans and five New Zealanders on board.

It happened as the crew tried to perform a low-speed test "in inappropriate conditions", French prosecutors said earlier this year.

The plane stalled during a low-speed, low-altitude test manoeuvre as it was coming in to land at Perpignan airport, according to the interim BEA report- based on black box data recorder readings.

The report said the plane should have been flying at an altitude of 5200 metres in order to carry out the manoeuvre but was instead at 600 metres.

The two German pilots were in control of the jet at the time of the crash.

The plane had gone to France for tests and to be repainted in the colours of Air New Zealand before heading to Germany from where it was scheduled to leave for New Zealand.

The New Zealanders killed were Air New Zealand pilot Brian Horrell, 52, Air New Zealand engineers Murray White, 37, Michael Gyles, 49, and Noel Marsh, 35, and Civil Aviation Authority official Jeremy Cook, 58.

All seven bodies were recovered from the crash scene.

- NZPA