KEY POINTS:
A pilot who flew to save lives was one of three men who died yesterday in a mid-air collision above Paraparaumu Airport.
Palmerston North pilot Dave Fielding, 30, and student pilot James David Taylor, 19 of Waikanae were killed instantly when their helicopter and a Cessna light aircraft smashed into each other.
Mr Feilding was taking Mr Taylor on the final qualifying exam for his private pilot's licence at the time of the collision.
The Cessna pilot was pulled from the wreckage of his plane with critical injuries, and died several hours later in Wellington Hospital.
Police today named him as Bevan Andrew Hookway, 17, of Raumati South, near Paraparaumu. Mr Hookway was a senior student at Kapiti College.
Specialist investigators including the police Disaster Victim Identification team worked until nearly 3am today extricating the bodies of the three men.
Kapiti Mana Area Police Commander and head of the police operation, Inspector John Spence, said the recovery process was challenging.
"This was a horrific crash which has claimed the lives of three young men," Mr Spence said.
"Our priority is working with their families, interviewing witnesses to the crash, and working with other agencies to retrieve aircraft parts and wreckage to assist investigations."
Post mortems of the men were being held in Wellington today.
"Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those involved in this dreadful accident," Mr Spence said.
"Police, Victim Support and other agencies are working closely with the families and those who knew these fine young men."
Wreckage from both aircraft fell on to busy streets, shops and houses, and officials of the emergency services were amazed that no one on the ground was injured.
Placemakers' hardware building was closed again today and would stay secured until experts had removed wreckage.
Mr Spence said said assistance was also being offered to witnesses, residents who had to flee their homes as wreckage tumbled from the sky, and to Placemakers stuff and customers.
Counselling services were also in place at Kapiti College where Mr Hookway was a senior student undertaking correspondence studies in Aviation. He was flying through the Kapiti Aero Club when he crashed.
"We are extremely fortunate there were no other injuries," Mr Spence said.
"The crash happened at a busy time of day and in both retail and residential areas.
"There were some very close calls both for young staff in the Placemakers timber yard and for residents who fled their homes."
Both scenes remained guarded until the wreckage was cleared, a process which police say could take some time.
"We need to be absolutely certain that all scenes are free of debris and cleaned before they can be reopened and habitable," Mr Spence said.
Police search teams would today scour paddocks behind Placemakers looking for helicopter parts or other items of interest.
They have urged residents who had found wreckage or debris from either the helicopter or the Cessna to leave the items in place, and to contact the Kapiti Police Station.
Mr Fielding, who had a partner and a 3-month-old daughter, was base manager of Palmerston North's Square Trust Rescue Helicopter.
He had flown the rescue helicopter for 14 months, and was also a highly qualified flight instructor and flight examiner.
The helicopter he and his student were flying was owned by Helipro.
The company's business manager, John Read, said the crash was a tragedy.
"He was an outstanding guy, and our sympathy goes out to all the families involved," Mr Read said.
"Dave was a very, very experienced A-category instructor, and the student was a very well-liked and capable young guy."
Kapiti Aero Club president Graham Barrell said Mr Fielding was "a wizard in a helicopter".
Cessna pilto Bevan Hookway was helped by several would-be rescuers, including Wainuiomata man Jack Peke.
Mr Peke was in Paraparaumu when he saw the two aircraft collide.
"It felt like it was about 20 or 30 seconds before the helicopter hit the ground," he said.
"I think the propeller of the helicopter wrapped around the aeroplane and the aeroplane just nosedived, and so did the helicopter."
The helicopter crashed on to the roof of the timber yard of a Placemakers hardware store.
One witness said the wreckage looked like a scrunched-up ball of paper.
The plane plunged into nearby Dennis Taylor Ave, a quiet cul-de-sac.
Mr Peke and friend John Tanirau rushed to the wreckage to see if anyone had survived.
"We were the first people on the scene. We pulled the plane in half and dropped it over and pulled the guy out.
"He was still alive, he was still breathing."
Paraparaumu resident Tony Bennett comforted the Mr Hookway until an ambulance arrived.
Mr Bennett was outside his home, about 200m from the crash site, when he head a loud bang.
"I turned around and saw it fall out of the sky. It was almost unreal. I was expecting it to burst into flames.
"What worried me was the helicopter blades - they were like missiles flying through the air.
"People were standing outside their houses wondering what was going on. Debris was falling in everyone's backyard."
Joan Ellis, 84, saw the crash from the Metlife Kapiti retirement village, five minutes away from Placemakers.
"I saw the plane and the helicopter flying very close together but in opposite directions.
"I looked away momentarily and then I heard a bang and saw the wing had been torn off the plane and then another piece of debris flew off the plane."
Several shops are near the crash site, and on a fine, sunny morning there were many people nearby.
Aviation fuel was also spilled over a wide area. Because of the risk of fire, people were evacuated from four homes and several nearby businesses.
Two Civil Aviation Authority investigators yesterday began piecing together the cause of the crash.
CLOSURE REMOVES GUARDIAN
The president of the flying club which owned the light aircraft involved in yesterday's tragedy said the closure of Paraparaumu Airport's control tower had removed a vital safety feature for pilots in the area.
The crash has raised questions about the safety of small unmanned airports.
The Air Line Pilots Association also said airports were safer with control tower staff directing planes.
Paraparaumu Airport lost its control tower 10 years ago, leaving pilots without anyone to advise them of other aircraft in the area.
In 1973, controllers at Paraparaumu were replaced with flight service officers who gave weather and traffic advice, rather than full control.
That service ended in August 1997 because the Civil Aviation Authority said it wasn't needed.
Yesterday, Kapiti Aero Club president Graham Barrell said: "Regarding the closure of any safety measure, I can with a high degree of confidence say that nothing of that nature is ever in the interests of safety.
"The more safety measures we have in place, the better it is for all concerned."
New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association president Mark Rammell said removing the air traffic service at Paraparaumu had created an unattended airfield.
"Pilots are totally dependent on the see-and-be-seen process and people making accurate radio calls as to where they are, what they are doing - or, in fact, making radio calls at all".
Air traffic control ensured the required separation between aircraft.
"Whether that was a factor in this event or not, it really is too early to say," Mr Rammell said.
- WITH NZPA
"But at appropriate airfields we believe air traffic services should be provided."
