Pilot of crashed plane found dead

A middle-aged Auckland man was killed when his single-engine stunt plane crashed in a field during rough weather, in Taranaki yesterday.

It was the third fatality from an air crash in the region in less than a week.

The Rescue Coordination Centre received an emergency beacon alert from the single-engine plane at 12.15pm, about 8km north of Stratford, spokesman Lindsay Sturt said.

However, a helicopter was not able to search until about 4pm due to wet and windy weather conditions.

"The helicopter found the aircraft had crashed and unfortunately the pilot had died," Mr Sturt said.

The pilot's body was found next to the plane.

The solo flyer was piloting the privately owned bi-plane through the Stratford Gap on his way from Ohakea to Ardmore when it disappeared from the radar.

The plane, which would have needed to refuel before making it to Ardmore, in South Auckland, was last spotted on the Wanganui radar at 11.50am, Mr Sturt said.

The plane was found on the edge of a watercourse in a field near Tuna Rd, 8km north of Stratford.

A post mortem would be conducted on the man today.

On Thursday Neville Ronald Adlam, 70, of New Plymouth, and Stephen John Chubb, 51, of Okaiawa, south Taranaki, who died when their gyrocopter ploughed into a paddock on Thursday.

The gyrocopter crashed about 500 metres from State Highway 3 on Ohangai Rd, Normanby, 72km southeast of New Plymouth at 1.40pm.

Mr Chubb was an instructor and was giving tuition to Mr Adlam at the time, police spokeswoman Kim Perks said.

- NZPA