Police have released the name of the man who died in a light plane crash at Lake Ellesmere in Canterbury on Thursday.
He was 23-year-old Ramprakash Srikumar, of Christchurch.
RNZ reported on Thursday that the crash involved a Cessna 172 plane from the Canterbury Aero Club, with a solo pilot on board.
After picking up an emergency locator transmission, Maritime New Zealand's Rescue Co-ordination Centre dispatched the Christchurch rescue helicopter and ground searchers found the crash site about an hour later.
The pilot was dead at the scene.
