{"id":602248,"date":"2026-09-16T15:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T15:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/602248\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T15:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T15:08:13","slug":"search-to-resume-for-plane-that-vanished-in-1978-with-seven-people-on-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/602248\/","title":{"rendered":"Search to resume for plane that vanished in 1978 with seven people on board"},"content":{"rendered":"

A search is resuming for a plane which vanished without a trace nearly half a century ago, carrying seven people.<\/p>\n

Police, the defence force and Coastguard will be conducting a three-day search operation for the lost plane at Lake Moeraki, near Haast on the West Coast, starting next Monday.<\/p>\n

The aircraft – ZK-EBU – went missing in 1978 during a chartered scenic flight from Dunedin through Queenstown, Milford Sound and Preservation Inlet.<\/p>\n

Last contact with the plane was made while it was flying through Milford Sound.<\/p>\n

Acting West Coast area commander Mark Kirkwood said the boat ramp at the northern entrance to the lake would be used throughout the search.<\/p>\n

“To ensure the safe movement of personnel and equipment, we ask that the area be kept clear for the duration of the operation.”<\/p>\n

In 2015, a Givealittle page was set up to raise money for a trip overseas to use radar technology as part of the search.<\/p>\n

“We have made contact with a company overseas who are willing to donate the use of their latest technology foliage penetrating radar system for free, but we will need to pay for the operator’s travel expenses and overheads.”<\/p>\n

However, it raised only $5701 of its $35,000 goal.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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