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Phillip Gordon Pullar’s body was found by search and rescue volunteers in the Old Man Range near Alexandra early Thursday morning. (File photo)
A pilot whose body was found after a light plane crash had been flying for more than two decades and was a much loved member of a local flying club.
Southland dairy farmer Phillip Gordon Pullar’s Cessna 172 disappeared in Central Otago overnight Wednesday, and his body was discovered after a search and rescue operation in the early hours of the next day.
Gore Aero Club spokesman John Ibbotson said the club’s 68 members were saddened to learn of the loss of Pullar, who had been a member for about 25 years.
He said that Pullar was “a very nice, personable personality, very easy to get along with and always had a smile.”
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Ibbotson said there were many possible reasons for the accident, but declined to speculate.
Pullar flew between his dairy farm in Pukerau and his vineyard in Bannockburn, Central Otago at least three to four times a month, Ibbotson said.
“I would fly to other places as well as I felt or saw the need to. With a pilot, sometimes you have to scratch the itch, which means you have to go fly. “
Ibbotson said it was highly unusual for a plane to disappear, and the last time a club member did so was at least 30 years ago.
The search for Pullar began after the Rescue Coordination Center of New Zealand (RCCNZ) received an emergency beacon alert from a private plane around 5.30pm on Wednesday.
A helicopter crew spent several hours searching for the plane Wednesday night.
Rhys Chamberlain / Things
Old Man Range, near Alexandra. (File photo)
They confirmed the location of the plane’s beacon at three to four kilometers, before being forced to return to base in Queenstown due to weather conditions.
A police ground search and rescue team, using four-wheel drive and motorcycles, was dispatched to the source of the beacon.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that the aircraft was found by search and rescue volunteers in the Old Man Range near Alexandra around 4 a.m. Thursday.
Pullar, who was the sole occupant, was found dead at the scene, he said, and his body was later recovered.
The Civil Aviation Authority has been notified and investigations into the accident are ongoing.
