Rotorua fisherman hauls up a plane

CATCH: The wreckage of the missing biplane is picked up by fishing vessel San Kawhia. PHOTO/CHRIS GORMAN

A Rotorua man played a large part in the accidental recovery of a missing plane when his fishing boat hauled it in with its net.

Philip Roberts is the bosun on board Sanford fishing boat San Kawhia, which on Thursday found the wreckage of a biplane. The aircraft disappeared more than four months ago.

It was recovered from the sea off Great Barrier Island.

"Philip called me to say they had pulled a plane out of the water and I thought he was calling my bluff," said his wife Anna Roberts. "It's a bit of a work story."

Mr Roberts has been working on boats for about 15 years and works on San Kawhia on a week-on week-off roster.

He is in charge of the deck but is also a qualified skipper.

Mrs Roberts said the net was full of fish when it also pulled up the plane. The fish had to be thrown back into the sea and the net was handed over to police.

A new net was fitted on Thursday night and the boat is now back on fishing duty.

The find brought closure to the family of pilot Daroish Kraidy, who had been missing since March 25.

Mr Kraidy had represented New Zealand and come second at the Precision Flying World Championships. He had flown out of Ardmore Airport at 11.30am on March 25 and the plane disappeared from radar detection shortly after.

A detailed inspection of the wreckage and its contents was carried out yesterday by a police disaster victim identification expert and Civil Aviation Authority personnel, police said.