What happened
On 10 November 2007, a turbine-powered agricultural aeroplane, registration ZK-EGV, was performing top-dressing operations near Opotకి, New Zealand. The mission involved spreading superphosphate over a farm located approximately 5 km south of the Opotiki township. The flight crew, consisting of the pilot and a loader-driver, had previously operated at the same site the prior afternoon. During the morning's tasks, the crew completed several loads at a location west of Whakatane before returning to the Opotiki site to continue the spreading process.
Throughout the day, the pilot performed periodic refueling stops to replenish the aircraft's fuel supply. The final load of fertilizer was loaded onto the Fletcher aircraft at approximately 13:16. Following this, the aircraft did not return to the airstrip as scheduled. After several failed attempts to reach the pilot via the onboard mobile phone, the loader-driver initiated emergency procedures and notified authorities at 13:38.
An orchardist working nearby reported hearing a loud noise at roughly 13:20, which prompted an immediate search of the area. An aerial search conducted by the Police located the wreckage at 14:35, positioned near a grove of native trees about 600 metres northwest of the active top-dressing area. The accident resulted in one fatality, as the pilot was killed in the crash.
Findings
Investigation into the sequence of events revealed that the pilot had been engaged in frequent mobile phone communications throughout the day. Records indicated that the pilot used these calls as a method to maintain alertness while flying. The final recorded communication occurred between 13:08 and 13:20, during which a contact noted a decrease in the pilot's voice volume and the presence of static before the connection was lost. While the pilot had previously mentioned feeling tired, there was no evidence of an altercation during the final phone call.