Historic wreckage removed illegally

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DISAPPEARING PLANE: The air force Devon became a landmark high up in the Tararua Range.

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The wreckage of a plane strewn near the gravesites of two pilots killed in the crash in the Tararua Range more than 50 years ago has been stripped in an act damned by the Conservation Department "as daylight robbery".

In the past week, parts of the plane's remains, which are now owned by the Crown, have been whisked away and other sections have been moved into clearings for easier removal.

The plane, an RNZAF Devon, was on a training flight from Ohakea when it crashed on Shingle Slip Knob, near Mt Holdsworth, on February 17, 1955.

Flight lieutenants Edward Casey and William Trott were buried 100 metres from the site on a hilltop after their bodies were discovered three days later.

The wreckage and the two simple white crosses bearing the men's names have remained there as a grim reminder of the hazards of the rugged range.

The Conservation Department, which manages Tararua Forest Park, was alerted this week to efforts to remove the wreckage by helicopter.

Tramper Barry Durrant told The Dominion Post he saw a red and white Hughes 500 helicopter make three trips to the site of the wreckage last Friday.

An engine was seen being lifted out of the wreckage and taken to a clearing at a road end.

DOC's Wairarapa area manager Chris Lester said the crash site, though not listed as having historical protection, was part of the forest park's history.

"Even if someone had approached us for consent, I would never have approved it till the RNZAF and the families of the two men who died and were buried nearby were consulted."

The wreckage belonged to the Crown, as it was on crown land, and any attempts to recover the plane had to be granted consent.

"We have been in contact with our lawyers and whatever is going on up there is very illegal. Daylight robbery even. Anyone who thinks they can try to do something like that covertly are fooling themselves."

Mr Lester and a DOC ranger flew to the site on Wednesday.

"There is certainly clear evidence that the engine is gone. Part of a wing has been moved to a clearing for easier removal. We don't know who is behind it and what the motive is. While there may be suspicions, the investigation and groundwork begins.

"We will be monitoring the site."

- © Fairfax NZ News