Nine dead in Fox Glacier plane crash

A fiery plane crash that killed nine people in Fox Glacier today happened just metres from the town's chief fire officer's house.

---

Are you in the area? Did you see the accident? Email us at: newstips@stuff.co.nz

---

» NZ's worst air disaster in nearly 17 years

The pilot, a local man, as well as four local men and four overseas tourists who had been about to go skydiving, died in the crash, which happened at the end of the runway at Fox Glacier Airport at 1.15pm.

The four tourists were an 18-year-old Australian man, a 26-year-old man from Ireland, a 24-year-old man from England and a 23-year-old woman from Germany, Senior Sergeant Tim Crawford of Greymouth told AAP.

John Sullivan, Fox Glacier's volunteer fire brigade's chief officer, watched the Fletcher FU24 crash from his home, about 50 metres from the crash site.

"It burst into flames on impact, I didn't see any sign of smoke or fire before then," Mr Sullivan told NZPA tonight.

"I ran straight out there and did a quick 360 around the whole thing, by that time it was in flames. I thought that maybe if someone had been thrown clear on impact or if they'd tried to jump out in the air then there might have been something I could have done, but looking around the whole area there was no sign of life."

Mr Sullivan said the entire town would be affected by the tragedy.

"It's a very small, close-knit community here, and everybody knew the guys involved apart from the tourists who were taking part in the skydiving," he said.

"People were coming from all directions. It happened about 150 metres off the nearest road, and there were cars coming down the airstrip, people running across the paddock to help.

"It's the first time I've witnessed anything like that. It brings a whole new meaning to too close to home - only 50 metres away."

Police would not be releasing the names until after next of kin had been advised, she said.

The bodies would remain at the crash site until tomorrow when they were expected to be moved to Dunedin Hospital.

The group was understood to be with Skydive New Zealand, but the company would not comment when contacted today.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce extended his condolences to those affected by the crash, and said he was being kept informed as investigations began.

"Details remain sketchy and it is too soon to speculate on exactly what has led to this accident occurring," he said.

A three-member Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) team was due to arrive in Fox Glacier early tomorrow afternoon to begin a scene investigation.

TAIC's investigator-in-charge had been liaising with police regarding initial scene recording and evidence gathering, any essential wreckage handling, site security, and witness identification.

Today's was the worst New Zealand air crash in nearly 17 years.

Nine people also died in a plane crash in October 1993, when a twin-engine Nomad 22 crashed in a severely crevassed and pinnacled area of Franz Josef Glacier. The two pilots and all seven passengers on board were all killed on impact.

Another air disaster on the West Coast claimed the lives of seven people the following October, when a Helicopter Line Squirrel helicopter on a sightseeing flight crashed in a mountainous area near Fox Glacier.

- With Clio Francis

- NZPA