KEY POINTS:
Using "classic Kiwi ingenuity" specialist divers have recovered the body of crashed helicopter pilot Morgan Saxton from the depths of Lake Wanaka.
His body was found inside the wreckage of the chopper and brought to the surface just before 9pm yesterday, police said.
The 31-year-old pilot and his Robinson R22 helicopter disappeared over the lake during a flight from Haast on Saturday evening.
Sergeant Aaron Nicholson, of Wanaka police search and rescue, said Saxton's body, and the fuselage of his machine, was recovered in "very trying conditions" from a depth of 94m.
That depth was beyond the diving capacity of the search teams, but the recovery was achieved by adapting a hook and attaching it to an underwater remote-operated camera in order to attach a line to the fuselage.
"This was classic number eight wire Kiwi ingenuity," Mr Nicholson said.
"We used a ski pole, a snap hook and LandSAR climbing rope, plus dive team muscle."
He praised the efforts and determination of all those involved in the operation to retrieve the body.
"Everyone involved worked very hard to return Morgan to his family and we are all grateful to have been able to help bring closure to this tragedy."
When it became apparent the helicopter had crashed into the lake about 15km from Wanaka township , police and Navy dive teams were brought in.
They spent the past two days combing the lake bed with sophisticated sonar and camera equipment to initially find the crash site, then identify the components of wreckage.
Police will now refer the incident to the coroner for routine investigation into the cause of death.
Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigators are due in Wanaka today to head the crash investigation.
They will also decide whether or not to try to retrieve the helicopter engine, which searchers know is resting in 74m of water.
At the time of the crash, Saxton and his father David were both on bail pending an appeal after being jailed for more than two years in February for the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Ngai Tahu greenstone from south Westland.
Both men are respected rescue pilots, credited with many rescue missions.
- NZPA
