Still no trace of missing family

Press, 3 August 1983, Page 1

Still no trace of missing family

Air and ground searchers found no trace yesterday of the light aircraft with a family of four aboard that disappeared on a flight across the Southern Alps from Lake Tekapo to Fox Glacier on Saturday. , An R.N.Z.A.F. Friendship yesterday searched offshore between Hokitika and Haast to cover the possibility that the pilot, Mr Roy Turner, might have crashed at sea while trying to fly round bad weather. While the weather remained fine yesterday 11 aircraft went over the area in which the light plane might have gone down. Three ground parties searched near Okarito, where residents reported hearing an explosion and smoke on Saturday afternoon.

The weather turned bad again yesterday and heavy rain and snow is expected as southerlies move on to the area.

Flight Lieutenant Don Haggitt, at the rescue coordination centre in Christchurch, said that six aircraft would be available to

continue the search today if the weather permitted. They would concentrate on the Whataroa valley area, where residents had reported hearing a light plane on Saturday. Land searchers had covered about 95 per cent of the area near Okarito in the last two days, Mr Haggitt said. About a dozen people would be available to go in again this morning. Mr Roy Turner was flying his own Cessna 172 with his wife, Anne, aged 33, and two children, Kim, aged six, and Guy, aged four, when he went missing. Mr Turner was last heard from about 1.15 p.m. on Saturday when he asked Hokitika Airport for West Coast weather conditions. Mr Turner, a Mount Ruapehu ski shop owner, was on a business and holiday trip. The plane was well equipped with alpine sleeping bags and blankets and plenty of food. Apart from yesterday the weather since the plane disappeared has been bad with up to a metre of snow in some areas.