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A mid-air collision between two light planes near Feilding in
Manawatu has left two people dead.
Police say two Cessna 152 aircraft from Feilding Aerodrome, known
locally as Taonui Airfield, were involved in a mid-air incident
around 3.30pm today.
One of the aircraft crashed in a farmer's paddock on Durie Road near the aerodrome.
The two people on board, a student pilot in her fifties and her instructor in her late 20s, were killed.
"Unfortunately I've lost one of my chief flying instructors who was a wonderful person," said Michael Bryant of Flight Training Manawatu.
The second aircraft managed to limp to the aerodrome and land safely. Its pilot and sole occupant, a man in his 20s, was unhurt.
Police and other emergency services were quick to rush to the scene.
It's the second tragic accident near the Taonui Airfield in recent years. In 2002, respected surgeon Guy Lawton and his two young sons were flying home to Paraparaumu when their plane crash landed shortly after takeoff. Lawton was an experienced pilot.
The scene of the latest crash is being guarded overnight and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission will be leading the investigation into the cause of the accident.
It's likely to be some months before their investigation is completed.
Police said tonight the names of those killed in the crash will not be released until all next of kin have been advised.
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