DNA Testing Being Conducted On Remains Found At The Site

Recently-discovered wreckage of an aircraft found by New Zealand police may be that of a helicopter which went down in 2004 carrying a British woman and her New Zealand boyfriend.

New Zealand resident Campbell Montgomerie was the pilot on the flight. The woman was London resident Hannah Timings. Timings had been on a six-month backpacking tour of New Zealand when the accident occurred.

The London Telegraph reports that Montgomerie had been a qualified pilot. He was flying the helicopter on what was describes as a "scenic trip" from Queenstown, an alpine resort, to a "beauty spot" known as Milford Sound popular with glacier sightseeing tours  in January of 2004.

The Hughes 500 helicopter went down near the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, and poor weather and rugged terrain hampered search efforts, and until Wednesday, no trace of the aircraft had been found.

The paper reports that the wreckage was spotted by another tour helicopter, and an alpine rescue team was sent to the area. That team has confirmed that it is the missing aircraft. Authorities are now performing DNA testing to positively identify the remains found at the accident site. Police say that the wrecked aircraft may have been hidden by snow over the intervening years.

FMI: www.caa.govt.nz