Incident Overview
Andrew Wilde, the pilot, and George Muir, a passenger, were on a flight from Motu to Opotiki when worsening weather conditions made the gully they were navigating un-negotiable. Wilde decided to return to Motu by flying a reciprocal course at low level, using a handheld marine GPS for navigation, as indicated by arrows on the device.
Flight Details
During the return trip to Motahora up the Otara River valley, the cloud base lowered further than when the aircraft had entered the valley six minutes prior. Wilde became fully reliant on the GPS. According to Muir's testimony, "The GPS became our enemy & lured Andrew into the cloud base, which ended our flight abruptly."
Passenger Account
George Muir, a loader driver and passenger during the flight, provided testimony describing the sequence of events. He noted that the GPS, initially a navigation aid, ultimately led the pilot into the cloud base, resulting in the abrupt termination of the flight.