Friends won’t stop search

Press, 5 August 1983, Page 1

Friends won’t stop search

The official search for the light aircraft missing on a flight across the Southern Alps on Saturday was called off yesterday.

However, friends of the family aboard the missing aircraft have said they will continue looking as long as money collected for their search lasts.

The pilot of the plane, a single-engine Cessna, was Mr Roy Turner, a ski shop owner and identity of Mount Ruapehu, and friends of his have raised more than $5OOO for the private search. Mr Turner’s wife, Anne, and two children, Kim, aged six, and Guy, aged four, were on the plane with him.

Mr Turner left Lake Tekapo at 12.44 p.m. on Saturday to fly across the Alps to Fox Glacier, a trip that should have taken 30 minutes if he flew directly. He was last heard from about 1.15 p.m. asking Hokitika Airport for West Coast weather conditions.

Mr Turner’s plane was carrying an emergency locator beacon which he would have had to turn on manually. No signals have been heard from the beacon.

Flight Lieutenant Don Haggitt, spokesman for the rescue co-ordination centre at Christchurch Airport, said yesterday that the official search had now been scaled down to “stand-by status” unless more information came in. “The search has covered an area of 6000 square miles, containing some of the most rugged mountain and forest areas in the country. “An area of 3000 square miles within the search area has been described as ‘most probable’ and has been repeatedly searched from the air. Some 700 square miles about the Mount Cook region have received considerable air and, in some cases, ground coverage to no avail. “A total of 18 aircrafthave taken part in the organised search,” said Flight Lieutenant Haggitt.

The search was handicapped by the fact that there were few positive leads as to the actual route the aircraft took.

Flight Lieutenant Haggitt said that the search controllers were appealing to trampers and private aircraft to report anything that might be a clue to the aircraft’s whereabouts. “The search and rescue organisation will maintain a readiness to respond to any positive information received concerning the missing aircraft.” Yesterday was clear and fine in the search area. Five helicopters combed the area and an R.N.Z.A.F. Friendship made a second search off the West Coast.