EC-120 found in original search area
Missing men found dead in crashed helicopter
20.11.05 6.15am
The search for a missing helicopter pilot and liquor magnate, who went missing with his Dutch beer company executive passenger more than two weeks ago, ended last night.
The bodies of Michael Erceg and his passenger, Guus Klatte, were found at the base of Mt Karioi, south of Raglan, about 6.30pm today by a Lion Foundation rescue helicopter team using a forward looking infra red (FLIR) camera.
A spoekesman for the Rescue Coordination Centre in Wellington said that the two men had died in the crash.
Mr Erceg's EC120 Eurocopter had crashed on the eastern side of Mt Karioi, south of Raglan, Lion Foundation rescue helicopter spokesman John Funnell said in a statement.
The helicopter had crashed a finger of bush in the middle of a farmer's paddock.
"The search area the rescue helicopter was in was as a result of information received from another pilot who had analysed the radar information of the helicopter's track on the day of the accident.
"The crash site was not far from the last recorded position on the radar track," Mr Funnell said.
Mr Erceg, one of New Zealand's richest men, and Mr Klatte were heading for Queenstown with planned refuelling stops at Wanganui and Rangiora, when they went missing on November 4.
Michael Erceg's brother, Ivan, who has been leading the family's search for the missing men, was not available for comment tonight.
The official search for Mr Erceg and Mr Klatte was suspended more than a week ago.
- NZPA