The brother of a pilot who died along with his wife and two of his young children in plane crash in Central Otago is struggling to come to terms with the loss.
The plane involved in the fatal crash near Wanaka. Photo: CAA
Four members of the Macdonald family of Christchurch were killed when their light plane crashed in mountainous terrain near Wanaka's Motatapu River.
Well-known Christchurch flying instructors Paul and Kate Macdonald and two of their children, Georgie, 7, and Ben, 5, were on the plane.
Police say the Cessna 185 left Wanaka around 11am yesterday, and the wreckage was spotted by a helicopter pilot just after midday on a rock bluff near the river.
Brother Ken MacDonald said the couple always took safety seriously.
"Both of them were commercial pilots, extremely experienced, very high hours, very very cautious, not people to take risks, either of them.
"I'm devastated to know what went wrong, how they could make this mistake."
The couple have another child from a previous marriage.
Friends of the family said the family were working at the Wanaka A&P Show at the weekend and were on their way to visit friends on a high country farm when the crash happened.
The children attended Cotswold School in the Christchurch suburb of Bishopdale.
A statement from the school said the Macdonald family is well known in the community and will be dearly missed.
The school remains open and a Ministry of Education Traumatic Incident Team is helping support students, parents and staff.
Civil Aviation Authority investigators and police are at the scene of the wreckage.
The family's bodies have been removed from the crash site.
Photos of the fatal plane crash near Wanaka Photo: SUPPLIED
Photos of the fatal plane crash near Wanaka Photo: SUPPLIED
