Four bodies recovered from crashed plane near Wanaka

The crashed plane is a Cessna 185 fixed wing aircraft. Photo / 3News

Police have recovered four bodies from a light plane that crashed near Wanaka.

The bodies were recovered by LandSar personnel this afternoon. They have been taken to Wanaka where a formal identification process will be carried out.

In a statement, Otago Lakes-Central Area Commander Inspector Olaf Jensen said no further details were available but further updates would be made tomorrow at 9am.

A Wanaka land search and rescue team headed into an area of the north branch of the Motatapu River near Wanaka after a helicopter pilot who had been flying in the area spotted the wreckage about 12.40pm.

The team has been flown in by helicopter into the scene to examine the wreckage, situated on a precarious rock bluff.

"Due to the precarious nature of the location, the team is working to secure the site as best they can," said Inspector Olaf Jensen, Otago Lakes-Central area commander.

The plane is a Cessna 185 fixed wing aircraft.

There have been no reports of planes missing in the area.

Police are still working to identify the route the plane was flying and to identify the pilot and passengers. There was low cloud in the area at the time.

A spokesman for the Rescue Coordination Centre said no beacon had been activated. He referred further queries to police.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it was aware of an accident but at this stage it was relying on police for more information.