Search for plane missing on Coromandel Peninsula

A search is under way after an plane yesterday failed to return from a flight over the Coromandel Peninsula.

A search is underway for a plane that disappeared from radar over the Coromandel yesterday.

The pilot of the two-seater aircraft took off from Whitianga Airport in the Coromandel yesterday morning bound for Ardmore Airport near Manurewa in Auckland.

But bad weather conditions in Manurewa forced the pilot to turn around and head back to the Coromandel.

The plane then disappeared from satellite and radar over the Coromandel Forest Park in rugged bushland not far from the town of Coromandel and was reported missing to rescue teams at Maritime NZ at 4.25pm, spokeswoman Stephanie Morison said.

A search team with six members was now on the ground searching the area where the plane was last reported on radar.

Rescue teams had been unable to search from the air because of bad weather yesterday evening and so far this morning, Morison said.

She said the teams were monitoring the weather to get search teams into the air as soon as possible.