Mystery death in car crash

Photo / Supplied

Crash investigators were last night puzzling over the lonely death of a driver found in a paddock near Auckland Airport.

A resident on the road heading home about 5.15pm found the man dead in his silver ute.

The vehicle had spun to rest in the field after leaving a straight section of road, and striking two trees.

Senior Sergeant Emiel Logan said there was only one person in the car who had yet to be identified. The vehicle was registered to a Mangere address.

He said the man in the ute had not been wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. "Always wear your seatbelt. You never know where you are going to need it."

Logan said the cause of the crash was unknown, with no apparent reason for the car to leave the road.

"There were no witnesses to the accident. We don't know what time it crashed."

The road runs through a rural area in Mangere about 1km away from the airport complex.