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| Down Under |
| NZ Post plane explodes killing pilots |
| 2005-05-05 |
| The bodies of two pilots who were killed after their plane exploded mid-air, scattering debris over several kilometres, have been removed from the crash site. Police have identified the pilots as 43-year-old Clive Roger Adamson of Wellington and 41-year-old Tony Drummond of Auckland. They were on a mail run from Auckland to Blenheim when their NZ Post Metroliner exploded and crashed east of Stratford in South Taranaki around 10.15 Tuesday night. The aircraft was reported to have disappeared from radar screens at the Christchurch air traffic control at about 10.20pm, a spokesperson at the Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand said. Emergency crews worked in heavy rain and wind to locate the wreckage. Locals said the plane appeared to explode in mid-air. The Hunger family said a huge roar shook their house and they saw a flaming ball in the sky which looked like a meteor. Jeff Hunger said there was an "almighty burst of light" and then the plane dropped out of the sky and the flaming wreckage looked like "teardrops." The plane passed over their house and exploded in a great orange flash. This attracted people from around the area with police having to set up road blocks to cordon off the area. No indication this was terrorism, but it highlights a major vulnerability. There must be thousands of flights a day that carry mail and packages. |
| Posted by:phil_b |