An investigation into the cause of the glider crash which claimed Ricco Legler's life is expected to take at least a year to complete.
The Russell 72-year-old, a highly experienced pilot, failed to return from a flight last Thursday afternoon.
A helicopter search found the wreckage of his glider on farmland a short distance northwest of Kaikohe aerodrome about two hours after the alarm was raised.
Read more: One dead in Northland glider crash
The Civil Aviation Authority finished collecting parts of the aircraft, which were spread over two paddocks and a distance of about 200m.