New Zealand authorities search lake for plane lost since 1978
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The mayor of Westland, New Zealand, expressed hope for the families of seven people as police resumed a search for a Piper Cherokee aircraft that disappeared in 1978.
The plane, registered ZK-EBU, vanished during a flight from Dunedin to Queenstown, with pilot Edward Morrison and passengers Earl, Elizabeth, David, Alec, Rosie Stuart, and David Hogg on board. Last contact with the aircraft occurred near Milford Sound.
Police began a new multi-agency search of Lake Moeraki, north of Haast, after a private survey detected a potential object, a “sonar target”, in the lake. Westland Mayor Helen Lash noted the search represented an important moment for both the district and the families affected by the decades-old disappearance, while acknowledging the emotional difficulty of revisiting the event.
Aviation researcher Gavin Grimmer contributed significantly to the renewed search through years of research and analysis, and police thanked him for his work. The search operation involves specialists from the Royal New Zealand Navy, the Police National Dive Squad, Coastguard West Coast, Hato Hone St John, and West Coast Police Search and Rescue, who will use military-spec sonar technology.
Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood, in charge of the search, explained that historical reports of aircraft parts found in the area, combined with the new sonar data, justified further investigation and a desire to bring closure to those impacted by the loss.
