Northland light plane crash false alarm

Ruakaka Beach in Northland, where a light plane has reportedly crashed. Photo / Ron Burgin

A report of a light plane crash at a Northland beach was a false alarm.

A worried onlooker called police saying they had witnessed a plane go down over sand dunes at Ruakaka beach, around 30km southeast of Whangarei, about 1.30pm.

However, searches by police and Coastguard were unable to detect anything.

It has now been confirmed the sighting was sparked by a pilot practising manoeuvres, Coastguard northern region duty officer Melissa Ousey said.

"It was a pilot practicing stalling, and going up and down," she said.

"We did respond and sent a rescue boat to have a look and searched the shoreline, but didn't find anything."

Police had spoken to the pilot and confirmed what had happened, she said.

Police made inquiries with a local aero club at Whangarei Airport and established a gyro-copter had been in the area at the relevant time.

The pilot had been dipping up and down but had returned to the airport safely.