Microlight 'nosedives' killing pilot, 60

A microlight "nosedived" to the ground in the Buller Gorge yesterday, killing the 60-year-old pilot.

The man, from Westport, was a very experienced flier who instructed others and had worked as a commercial pilot, said friend and witness Nigel Cleine.

The Italian-made Sky Arrow, was on its way to a "fly-in" meet in Murchison when it crashed on a farm known as White Cliffs, between Berlins and Inangahua, about 11am.

Inangahua Fire Service chief office Taffy Tawhara, among the first on the scene, said he had heard the pilot had radioed that he was having difficulty and was trying to get to an airstrip in the gorge.

Senior Sergeant Geoff Scott, of Westport police, said witnesses reported the plane "basically nose-dived to the ground".

Mr Cleine, who was following his friend, said he did not see the plane go down, but "we were there two minutes later".

"You feel a bit helpless, a bit sick, especially as you have to fly back," he told The Press.

Mr Cleine said he was offering support to the man's widow.

The cause of the crash was not known, but the weather was fine at the time. The Civil Aviation Authority has launched an investigation.

- NZPA