Michael Bannerman is remembered as a wonderful father who once flew from Auckland to Taupo to retrieve his daughter's doll.
Sitting on the couch next to her mother Patricia yesterday, Olivia Bannerman shared memories of the man who piloted the Piper Chieftain which crashed near Christchurch airport on Friday, killing himand seven others. Mr Bannerman's funeral will be held today.
The 19-year-old dancer talked of the time her father made her ride a sheep, of the special treats he organised every Saturday night, the surprise picnics he arranged, and of sitting next to him in the cockpit as he flew.
On one of the family's flying holidays, Olivia, then 6, left her doll behind in Taupo. Her father flew back from Auckland to get it for her.
"I was always Daddy's girl. When I was little I was his wee shadow," she recalled.
"He always called me Poppet."
Ms Bannerman's grief is heightened by the speculation that it may have been pilot error that caused the plane to crash just 70 seconds shy of landing at Christchurch airport.
She said her father was a careful pilot who knew what he was doing: "I've watched him fly countless times ... and he always concentrated so hard. If he was flying low he must have thought he was in the airport.
"If he did make a mistake, it was the only mistake he made."
The unanswered questions prey on her mind. She worries for the other families grieving for their loved ones and the possibility some passengers may have survived the crash but died before help could reach them.
Ms Bannerman, who attends the New Zealand School of Dance, said: "It's really hard to think dad isn't going to be there when I turn 21 or be there to walk me down the aisle or see me dance.
"He just loved life. He was so bubbly and always the centre of attention at parties. It was embarrassing but my dad could hold the floor for hours."
Ms Bannerman said she had a premonition something had happened to her father as she was looking at her parents' wedding photo on Friday. A friend text-messaged her a short time later to say an Air Adventures plane was missing north of Christchurch.
She rang Air Adventures' 0800 line just so she could hear her dad's voice but she knew in her heart he was dead.
