What happened
During an aerial topdressing mission operating from a landing strip close to Otangiwai, a pilot was performing sowing operations across adjacent farmland. Due to increasing turbulence caused by hills in the area, the pilot shifted focus from higher elevations to the lower sections of the property. At approximately 10:20, the pilot departed on a new sortie intended to cover the northeastern corner of the farm.
The aircraft, a Fletcher, failed to return from this flight. Later that morning, around 11:00, the wreckage of ZK-DUI was located on a flat riverbed. The impact was severe; the aircraft had struck the ground at an angle of at least 60 degrees, potentially near vertical. The force of the crash caused the fuselage to break apart, with the cockpit area suffering compression damage and the rear section folding behind the wing. The propeller was torn from the engine and embedded deep in the earth, while a portion of the left wing was found 100 metres away from the main wreckage.
There was no fire at the site, and the hopper was empty of fertilizer. The pilot sustained one fatality.
Findings
Investigation of the debris revealed that the leading edge of the left wing had been severed by a wire cable. Evidence indicated that the aircraft struck an 11,000 volt electrical conductor located roughly 600 metres from the final crash site. This wire was part of a 4-kilometre power line installation completed by the local utility only five weeks prior to the accident. The collision occurred at an altitude of approximately 220 feet AGL, and the impact with the power line led to the subsequent loss of control.