Navy may have found plane wreckage

A naval ship may have found the wreckage of the light plane which crashed off the north Canterbury coast on Sunday, killing the two occupants.

Businessman Dr Russell Smith and his wife Marian D'Eve died when their Cessna 182 crashed into the sea.

Naval reserve vessel HMNZS Kiwi was sent to the area and may have found the wreckage of the plane in about 12 metres of water, the navy said this morning.

Kiwi commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Peter Drew, said divers may go down to inspect.

"We have detected last night some objects on the sea floor about one (nautical) mile south of that position," he said. "The pieces are consistent in terms of size and location with what we are looking for."

The ship was continuing to search, Lt Cdr Drew said.

- NZPA