Two dead after light aircraft crashes near Nelson, New Zealand, police confirm

New Zealand Police have confirmed that two people died in a light aircraft crash in the Nelson region on November 3. Nelson Area Commander Steven Collins said in an update: “Two people have died in an aircraft crash in the Nelson region.” (Cover photo is a file photo of a Cessna-type light aircraft, not the crashed plane.)

Overdue plane found after search

Police said they were notified just before midday that a plane was overdue. Maritime New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre managed the search response, and the aircraft was later located in a remote area south of Castor Peak, near the boundary between the Nelson and Marlborough regions. Police said recovery of the deceased and examination of the crash site were under way, with Civil Aviation Authority investigators involved in the examination.

Mayor gives flight details; identities not released

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said the aircraft was a Cessna capable of carrying four people that reached about 3,100 feet before dropping to around 1,800 feet and disappearing from radar near the Bryant Range, about 35 kilometres northeast of Nelson. Flight tracking data on FlightRadar24 showed a Cessna Skyhawk taking off from Nelson Airport at 9:10 a.m. and flying into the hills near Whangamoa before its tracking stopped. Those details have not been included in the latest police release and should be treated as reported information pending confirmation by investigators. Nelson Aero Club confirmed the plane was not one of theirs. Police have not released the identities of the two people killed, the operator or the intended destination, and the cause of the crash remains undetermined; the aircraft's registration and exact model have now been confirmed by the investigation commission (see update below).

Inquiry opened; plane confirmed as Cessna 172P, registration ZK-BFQ

New Zealand's Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) said on November 5 it had opened an inquiry into the accident. The commission said the aircraft was a Cessna 172P Skyhawk, registration ZK-BFQ, which departed Nelson Airport on November 3 and was reported overdue just before midday; search and rescue teams later located the wreckage in remote terrain near North Castor Peak, about 20 kilometres northeast of Nelson. The two occupants were deceased and the aircraft was destroyed. Chief Investigator of Accidents Louise Cook said the commission had appointed two investigators, and that its inquiries aim to find out what happened and why in order to prevent repeats, rather than to assign blame. Police said recovery of the bodies was still under way; the identities of the two people killed have not been released, and the cause of the crash remains undetermined. (Updated November 5, 2026. Sources: TAIC; NZ Herald.)

Update, November 9: police name the two who died

New Zealand Police have now named the two people who died in the plane crash near Castor Peak, Nelson, on November 3: 67-year-old Nicholas Charles Taylor of Wanaka, and 76-year-old Belgian national Alain Henri Copine. The investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing.