Scale of Erceg helicopter hunt nears record

The search for multimillionaire Michael Erceg and his Dutch passenger, Guus Klatte, is shaping up to be one of the biggest of its kind in the country.

Yesterday, up to 20 helicopters were involved in the search, which has so far spanned thousands of square kilometres.

Mr Erceg, a pilot for about two years, and Mr Klatte left Ardmore Airport shortly before 10am on Friday and disappeared from radar screens 30 minutes later.

Late yesterday, the search shifted from the west coast to a rectangular area between Raetihi, Ohakune and Wanganui, where a new sighting was reported.

Mr Erceg had planned to refuel at Wanganui.

The search - involving private, commercial and rescue helicopters - will resume again today in the same area.

Rescue Co-ordination Centre spokesman Steve Corbett said fixed-wing aircraft would normally be called but the terrain made it difficult for the planes to get low enough to be of any help.

As a result this was shaping up to be the country's biggest aviation search involving helicopters.

Initially four of those helicopters were paid for by Mr Erceg's family, but the Rescue Co-ordination Centre had since taken over responsibility.

The eventual bill will be footed by the taxpayer.

Mr Corbett said the large number of helicopters involved was because of the large area that needed to be covered.

"The more craft we can get into the area the quicker we can search it. It would certainly be our biggest aviation search ever."

Mr Corbett said bad weather, including low cloud, had caused some problems but the biggest difficulty was not knowing where the helicopter had gone down. The emergency beacon had not activated.

There was a possibility Mr Erceg and Mr Klatte were still alive, as their families hoped.

"It's possible. As long as it's possible then that's what we have got to believe, but obviously the more time that passes the greater the worry and the less chance of finding them alive.

"We just have to keep going until we can't do any more."

He said it was too early to say how long the search would continue.

"There's not really a time scale [for ending the search] but when it gets to the point we have done everything we can, we have acted on all the information received and have covered all the likely areas, then we need to think about pulling back."

There was a possibility the helicopter would not be found.

A helicopter carrying Hamilton pilot Campbell Montgomerie and his passenger Hannah Timings, which crashed in Fiordland early last year, has not been found.

Mr Erceg is the founder and managing director of Independent Liquor. It is understood Friday's flight was planned to show the country's beauty to Mr Klatte, an export director of Dutch brewer Grolsch.