Double tragedies devastate young pilot

Philippa Tucker (L) and Craig Duffield were due to be married. Duffield's ex Aleisha O'Reilly was killed in 2007. Photos / Supplied

A young pilot has been left devastated after his fiancee fell to her death at her sister's wedding - the second loved one he has lost in tragic circumstances in 18 months.

Craig Duffield received a phone call from his fiancee Philippa Tucker about 3.30am last Sunday, while she was celebrating her sister's wedding near New Plymouth.

"She had been drinking ... she was happy, absolutely fantastic," said Christchurch-based Duffield, a Pacific Blue pilot who could not attend the wedding because of flying commitments.

"We told each other how much we loved each other every day, we would have done it every 10 minutes if we could ... that's why she called."

Tragedy struck less than two hours after the phone call. Philippa, 25, fell 3.5m from a balcony on to a concrete fall at Ahu Ahu Villas near Oakura where she had been staying for the wedding. She was rushed to hospital about 5am.

Philippa, who had been sleeping at the villa with family members after her sister Jaclyn's wedding, died from her injuries about 2pm that day.

Duffield, 27, received a phone call from Philippa's father Rob Tucker moments later.

"He left a message and when I called him back he said 'Philly' had died. He said he hadn't called me earlier because he didn't want me to fly up and see her like that. She had brain swelling ... her body was pretty badly injured."

Craig said he "went numb" when he heard the news.

"I was in a complete panic, my heart was pumping and I fell to the floor. I rang her best friend and she came over with her partner. Then I rang my mum and she broke down - she loved that girl."

It is the second tragedy to strike Duffield in 18 months.

In October 2007, his former girlfriend, flight instructor Aleisha O'Reilly, 21, was killed when her Cessna 152 crashed in the Urewera National Park.

She was on a routine training flight with 19-year-old student Chris Slee, her co-pilot, when the plane plunged into dense bush near Ruatahana.

Slee survived the impact and managed to walk 500m to a nearby road to call for help.

Duffield said he and Aleisha had broken up about six months before the crash but her death still devastated him.

He flew to New Plymouth for Philippa's funeral on Wednesday and spent time with her before the service.

"I wrote a message on the bottom of her coffin - 'I will love you until the day I die, Crilly'. She would have been the only one that got to see that."

Crilly - a combination of Craig and Philly - was the couple's special name for each other.

Craig said Philippa was buried in the dress she wore to the wedding.

"She was Jackie's bridesmaid ... she was really looking forward to the wedding, they were extremely close. Philly also left her engagement ring at home by accident, we spoke about that when she called me. I sent it up for her funeral and they put it on her."

Philippa's mother Roz Burkitt said the incident had been "too much" for Jaclyn.

"She has gone back to Melbourne," she said.

Jaclyn and her new husband Ash Rowan went on honeymoon as planned on Friday. Duffield said Philippa was a fun and "absolutely beautiful" woman.

"She had beautiful blue eyes and she brightened up my world every single day. My last girlfriend died in a plane crash so when I met Philly I felt like my life was back on track.

"She loved to dance and she got along with everyone, she could start a conversation with anyone. She was just so cute and perfect."

The couple got engaged in September and planned to marry on February 20 next year.

"I had just built a home and we had been living in it for about four months, it's a bit of a struggle having an empty house without Philly.

"We were going to get married in Tai Tapu. I had a call from the church [on Friday] to confirm the date and that's when it really hit home."

Philippa's close friend Missy Waddell was struggling to come to grips with Philippa's death. "I still can't fathom that it's happened, it's so hard to try and get my head around.

"I was with her the day before she left [for the wedding]. She was just so excited. I am getting married on the 27th of March and we would talk all the time about my wedding and hers."