The wreckage of a light plane reported missing last night has been found in the Tararua Ranges, not far from where it was last seen.
Grounded planes at Paraparaumu airport today. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
A helicopter spotted the wreckage at 7.30am and searchers subsequently found the bodies of the flight instructor and his student.
Police have spoken to the men's families, but their names have not been released.
The plane was reported missing at 8pm last night after it failed to land in Paraparaumu.
Earlier today Search and Rescue mission co-ordinator Keith Allen told RNZ's Morning Report the plane had two Kāpiti men onboard who were undertaking a training flight.
He said the plane was a two-seater Tecnam, popular with training flights and one of the men was an instructor.
"It appears they were reasonably regular fliers."
Search and Rescue crews could not search the precise area of the plane's last radar plot overnight due to poor weather conditions.
"We did carry out a helicopter search around the Foxpine Airstrip in case there had been some form of accident on take-off.
"The radar plots show the plane taking off from Foxpine and tracking to the west and going over the Tararua Range.
"Given the height they were at last night it would have been reasonably strong winds and probably some sort of rain."
Before the plane was found, Rescue Coordination Centre spokesperson Vince Cholewa said the last radar plot was at 2.41pm yesterday on the eastern side of the Tararua Ranges, high in the mountains west of Eketahuna.
Mr Cholewa said the plane had no emergency locator transmitter but the pilot would have been carrying a personal locator beacon.
The Civil Aviation Authority is investigating. The men's families have been notified and police will make enquiries on behalf of the coroner.