KEY POINTS:
A memorial service has been organised for the three men who died in a tragic mid-air collision above Paraparaumu, as crash investigators continue their inquiries into the cause of the crash.
David Mark Fielding, 30, James David Taylor, 19, and Bevan Andrew Hookway,17, all died in the collision
between a helicopter and a Cessna 152 light plane over the Kapiti Coast town, north of Wellington, on Sunday.
A memorial service for the men will be held at St Paul's Anglican Church in Paraparaumu next Thursday.
The vicar of the church, the Reverend Canon Denise Fergusson, said the community needed a chance to grieve together.
Many people in the town had been affected by the crash.
She said she had met Kapiti Mayor Jenny Rowan to arrange the memorial.
"It's a good opportunity for people just to reflect on what's happened, how it has impacted upon them and for maybe them to find some peace in the situation, some hope to move forward, but certainly to acknowledge the tragedy and the impact on the wider community."
Kapiti College student Mr Hookway's funeral will held in the college hall on Friday afternoon.
Philips Search and Rescue Trust has set up a fund for the three-month-old daughter of helicopter pilot Mr Fielding.
He was employed by the trust as one of the pilots who flew the rescue helicopter and was the Palmerston North base manager.
The two aircraft collided about 200m from Paraparaumu Airport at 11.15am on Sunday, with some eyewitnesses saying the plane's left wing clipped the helicopter's tail.
The helicopter, an R22, fell through the roof of Paraparaumu's Placemakers store, just missing staff and customers in the store, while the plane fuselage landed about 250m away in Dennis Taylor Court, with its engine crashing through one of the houses in that cul-de-sac.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has said it could take up to eight months to determine exactly what caused the accident.
Investigator Ian McClelland said the focus was moving from the crash scenes to interviews with witnesses, and any information from radar tapes or recordings would also be gathered.
Mr Hookway was the solo pilot of the Cessna and questions are being asked about whether 17 is too young for pilots to be flying solo but Mr McClelland said he did not believe age was a contributing factor in the accident.
He said some trainees did not go solo until they were 28 and the decision was based on experience and competence, rather than age.
Radar tapes, held by Airways Corporation in Christchurch, would be examined.
"We will see whether that has picked up any of the aircraft and that will gave us a radar plot," Mr McClelland told NZPA.
The TAIC will also probe operation of the airspace around Paraparaumu, while the Civil Aviation Authority said it would look at airspace management. The airport does not have air traffic control and pilots heading near or leaving the airport have to radio their movements.
The Paraparaumu Airport Coalition, set up to oppose the planned development of an industrial estate surrounding the airport, has criticised the fact that such a busy airport does not have an air traffic controller and said Sunday's crash was "an accident waiting to happen".
Meanwhile, police have said officers should today clear the last of the helicopter wreckage from where it crashed through into the Placemakers store, and part of the shop would reopen to the public.
Wreckage from the Cessna was removed from the Paraparaumu street where it fell to the ground.
Police said the main body of the plane and its engine was being taken to a lock-up for further inspection. At least 60 bags of smaller pieces of the wreckage were also collected from the area
- NZPA
