Fishermen Find Plane Wreckage With Body Inside: Body Could Be That Of Pilot Who Went Missing In March

Fishermen in New Zealand made a gruesome find when they pulled in a plane with a body inside of it. As Las Vegas Review Journal reports, the San Kawhai crew were trawling for fish Thursday morning when they hauled in a dismantled plane that was at the bottom of ocean waters near Great Barrier Island.

The body is believed to be that of Auckland pilot, Daroish Kraidy, 53. He disappeared on March 25 when he flew out of Ardmore airfield. It was just minutes later when his home-built 19-foot plane lost radio signal.

After the wrecked plane was pulled out of the water, it was transferred aboard a police boat sailing back to Auckland. One News in New Zealand reports that the wreckage is expected to arrive at the Marine Rescue Centre around 8.30 pm. A Police Disaster Victim Identification expert and Civil Aviation Authority personnel will conduct a thorough inspection of the aircraft’s debris on Friday.

Trish Sherson, a spokeswoman for fishing company Sanford, reveals that the crew hoisted the wreckage in large nets from the water around 10 am. The report explains that trawl nets are “dragged in a wide arc along the ocean floor to ensnare fish. Buoyancy can make it easier to lift heavy objects in the water than on land.”

The only plane missing with the New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority is Kraidy’s Acro Sport plane. Authority spokesman Mike Richards says the Acro Sport plane is “lightweight and is made with a metal and wood frame that’s covered by fabric.”

When Kraidy’s plane lost its signal, aviation authorities thought that the pilot either switched off the plane’s transponder or was at very low altitude.

The pilot had competed in the World Precision Flying Championships. Kraidy’s ex-wife and daughter said they thought his depression was a factor in his disappearance, and that he might have deliberately gone missing. Apparently, he struggled with depression for years. His ex-wife did notice eery similarities in his Kraidy’s disappearance and that of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on March 8. So far, the airliner that carried 239 passengers hasn’t been found.

The Inquisitr has written other reports about planes being discovered that went missing years ago. When these types of discoveries are made, it’s typically many years after they go missing. In this instance, the fishermen who found the plane with a dead body inside came just months after a tragedy.

Did the fisherman find Daroish Kraidy?

[Image via Review Journal]