New Zealand plane crash dead identified

Locals described conditions on Saturday as apparently perfect for skydiving near the glacier, a central attraction in the UNESCO-designated World Heritage area.

The head of the TAIC team, Ian McClelland, refused to speculate on the cause of the crash and said a report on the incident may not be ready for between nine and 15 months.

McClelland said the light aircraft did not have a “black box” flight recorder or voice recorder.

“But given the availability of the other evidence that is likely to be forthcoming, we are pretty confident we can identify most if not all of the contributing factors,” he said.

The disaster was the worst air tragedy in New Zealand since nine people died in a plane crash in October 1993 at nearby Franz Josef Glacier.

The following year, seven people died when a sightseeing helicopter crashed near Fox Glacier, and in 2003 a chartered Piper Navajo Chieftain crashed on landing near Christchurch in 2003, killing eight people.

The west coast of New Zealand's South Island attracts thousands of tourists annually, brought to the area by the stunning mountain scenery and fjords.

Travelers, many of them from abroad, support a burgeoning tourism industry catering for a range of interests, including high-adrenaline sports and trekking.

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