8.15pm
Two men who died when their plane slammed into a paddock were seen doing aerobatics before the crash at Ararimu, south of Auckland, tonight.
The men, believed to be in their mid-20s, were in a popular flight practice area when their light aircraft went down in a swampy area between Markham Rd and Dunrobin Rd just before 6.40pm.
Police, St John Ambulance and seven fire engines went to the crash site, 24km northeast of Pukekohe.
Witnesses said the pilot was performing aerobatics when the engine appeared to stall.
Alan Rowney said the plane made a vertical climb, "spinning as they went up," then appeared to stall.
"The plane sort of fell over at the top and started spiralling down and about halfway down the engine cut out and it tipped upside down."
Mr Rowney said the plane disappeared behind trees but he heard a "large bang".
Blair Taylor, 15, was sitting in his conservatory when he saw a plane about 800m away coming from the west.
He looked up and saw it spiralling down.
He raced to the crash scene with two other men, who were also heading down the hill to the gully where the plane crashed.
The men tried to rip open the cockpit, realised there was a latch, lifted it up and checked the two men's pulses.
However, they were dead.
Another nearby resident was eating dinner on his verandah with his wife when they saw the plane plummet to the ground, 500m from their house.
"It was doing aerobatics very low to the ground and we looked out when we heard it stall because we thought it was going to hit the house, it sounded like it was directly above.
"It came straight down like a stone and the pilot started trying to pull it out but the poor bugger hit the deck."
He said the plane was lying on its side.
Another witness, Andrew Sutton, said the pilot had been performing "backflips" before the crash.
He said the engine stalled but half-way down sounded as though it was starting up again.
"Just before it crashed it sounded like it was starting to pull up again. We thought it was going to come up again."
Mr Sutton said the plummet took less than 10 seconds.
The names of the men were not available this evening.
At least 20 people have died in aircraft accidents this year.
- STAFF REPORTERS
Two die after plane crashes during aerobatics routine
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