Seven missing on Fiordland scenic flight

Press, 30 December 1978, Page 1

Seven missing on Fiordland scenic flight

Five men and two women are missing in a light aircraft somewhere over rugged country in Fiordland.

Search aircraft were grounded early last evening by strong winds and driving rain after they had failed to find a trace of the Piper Cherokee Six aircraft, which had been on a sight-seeing trip from Taieri Airport, near Dunedin.

Those on board are:— Edward James Sinclair Morrison, aged about 26, who was the pilot and lives in Dunedin; Earl Blomfield Stewart (known as Pete), aged 40, Elizabeth McGregor Stewart, aged 37, his wife, and David John Stewart, aged 18, their son, all of 15 Shipka Street, Abbotsford, Dunedin; Alec Davidson Stewart, aged 38, and Rosie Stewart, aged 37, his wife, both of 5 Westland Street, Green Island, Dunedin; and David Hogg, aged 20, of Burnside, Dunedin.

The elder Stewart men are brothers. The last confirmed contact with the aircraft was at 11.38 a.m. yesterday, when the pilot reported by radio that he was over Milford Sound. Search controllers, however, hope that an aircraft heard flying

near Weka Island, at the south-western tip of the South Island near Puysegur Point, might have been the missing Cherokee. An aircraft was heard by trampers about 1 p.m. The time does not quite tally with what search controllers expect to be the aircraft’s flight time, but the course is “spot on.”

Attempts are being made to confirm the hearing, and an R.N.Z.A.F. Andover will fly to the area today as soon as the weather permits. The Andover was back at Dunedin last evening, after searching between Milford Sound and Preservation Inlet without success, and a civilian helicopter was grounded at Milford

Sound after searching the beaches and headlands between Breaksea Sound and the Kaipo River mouth, including the shores of Charles Sound and Sutherland Sound. By the time the helicopter landed, wind gusts were reaching 45 knots, heavy driving rain had reduced visibility to almost nil, and the cloud level was reported to be “on the deck.” The missing aircraft (of the same model as that pictured) left Taieri at 10.03 a.m. The flight plan lodged by the pilot showed a nonstop flight over Alexandra, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Preservation Inlet, and Manapouri, and a return to Taieri at 1.30 p.m. Enough fuel was aboard

to keep the aircraft airborne until only 2.45 p.m. An emergency “bleeper” was on the aircraft, able to be triggered manually by the pilot or automatically on impact, but nothing has been heard from it.

The pilot of the missing aircraft is reported to be a “very experienced commercial pilot” and a member of an aero club. The aircraft is owned by the Otago Aero Club.

Search controllers have been in touch with fishing vessels in the area through Radio Awarua, but without success.

An R.N.Z.A.F. Iroquois helicopter from Wigram was sent south to join the search yesterday afternoon, but because of bad weather was unable to get any further than Dunedin. It will fly into the search area today if the weather permits. Search controllers have recent experience of the rugged country in which the plane is missing—a Cessna 180 aircraft disappeared in the same general area more than four months ago with four Riversdale men on board.