New Zealand: 2 pilots dead after mid-air light aircraft collide

Two pilots lost their lives after two light aircraft collided mid-air during their final approach towards Hood Aerodrome here on Sunday.

While one aircraft belonged to the Wairarapa Aero Club, the other one is believed to be Skydive Wellington's, according to The New Zealand Herald.

Luckily, four skydivers gave death a miss, when they parachuted from a Skydive Wellington plane just minutes before the fatal collision.

Witnesses have described it as a "terrible" scene, as a massive bang was heard upon collision after which debris spiralled out of the sky and burst into flames upon reaching the ground.

Locals immediately rushed to help, but the pilots had already passed away, according to the police.

Speaking at a presser on Sunday, Wairarapa Police area commander Inspector Scott Miller said that one of the aircraft was a training plane.

"The impact was very severe. Both planes dropped immediately after the impact and most likely both pilots were killed, very unfortunately and tragically, at that impact," he said.

A no-fly zone has been put in place at the Hood Aerodrome until investigations are completed.

"We think one was coming out of the aerodrome and one was coming back in," one of the witnesses named Mike Playford told the Kiwi daily.