No fatalities

Crop spraying aircraft crash results in pilot injury (ZK-BHE)

Kaitieke, New ZealandFlight

On January 9, 1957, a Fletcher FU-24 (registration ZK-BHE) operated by Private New Zealand was involved in an aviation accident near Kaitieke, New Zealand in flight. No fatalities were reported. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft crashed during a crop spraying operation, leaving the pilot injured and the plane destroyed.

What happened

During an aerial application mission involving crop spraying, an aircraft crashed under undetermined circumstances. The flight was being operated by a single occupant. Upon impact, the pilot sustained injuries, though no fatalities were reported in the incident.

Following the crash, the aircraft was declared a total loss and written off. The specific details regarding the exact moment of the accident or the precise sequence leading to the impact remain unconfirmed.

Findings

The investigation into the crash has not yet established the specific reasons for the accident, as the circumstances surrounding the descent and impact are currently unknown.