Hokitika

The single engine aircraft departed Hokitika Airport on a local skydiving flight, carrying four skydivers and one pilot. The ripcord of the reserve parachute of one of the jumpers was snagged as he climbed out of the cockpit and the chute streamed and began to deploy. The jumper struck the tailplane as he was dragged aft, damaging it, and the Fletcher went out of control and dived into the ground. The remaining parachutists all escaped the crashing plane by the use of their parachutes but the pilot, who was not wearing a parachute, was killed in the crash. The jumper whose reserve had accidentally deployed suffered a head injury which rendered him unconscious briefly but landed safely.

While approaching the Mt Saddle at low height, the twin engine aircraft was caught by updraft and gained altitude. Shortly later, the aircraft stalled and dove into a wooded area located on the Mt Hope, in the Kahurangi National Park. Four passengers and the pilot Colin G. Lewis were rescued while two others occupants including Bert Mercer, founder of this operator, were killed. The other passenger killed was also an employee of Air Travel.

A student pilot and an instructor were performing a training flight from Hokitika to New Plymouth. While overflying the Cook Strait in foggy conditions, the single engine aircraft crashed into the sea in unknown circumstances. Some debris were found few days later on shore but no trace of both crewmen.

The airplane departed Hokitika in relative good weather conditions. About 30 minutes into the flight, while cruising at a height of some 1,250 metres, the aircraft impacted the slope of Mt Turiwhate located 30 km east of Hokitika. At the time of the accident, the visibility was poor due to rain falls and foggy conditions. The pilot John D. Renton and the passenger James Daniel Lynch were killed.