Sonar lake discovery sparks search for plane that vanished in 1978

Police say the fresh search efforts for a plane that disappeared half a century ago were triggered after a “sonar target” was found during a private survey of Lake Moeraki.

Acting Inspector Mark Kirkwood, who is in charge of the investigation, said the potential object has been assessed as warranting further examination.

This comes after news that the search was set to resume for the aircraft that went missing on a scenic flight in the South Island on December 29, 1978.

The Piper Cherokee Six aircraft ZK-EBU had six passengers and 28-year-old pilot Edward Morrison on board.

Police said a three-day operation to solve the near 50-year mystery will start on Monday at Lake Moeraki near Haast on the West Coast.

The New Zealand Defence Force and Coastguard West Coast will join in the search effort.

Kirkwood said the boat ramp at the northern entrance to the lake will be used throughout the search.

“To ensure the safe movement of personnel and equipment, we ask that the area be kept clear for the duration of the operation.”

He said the search remained an evidence-gathering exercise.

“At this stage, there is no confirmation that the potential object is the missing aircraft.

“Our objective is to safely assess the location, gather evidence and determine whether there is any connection to ZK-EBU,” Kirkwood said.

A Givealittle page from 2015 said the aircraft was on a chartered scenic flight from Dunedin through Queenstown, Milford Sound, Preservation Inlet and returning to Dunedin.

Radio contact with the aircraft was lost as it passed through Milford Sound in low cloud and severe weather conditions.

Neither the plane nor any wreckage was found despite extensive ground searches at the time.

According to the New Zealand website Find Lost Aircraft, there were at least two possible sightings that indicated the flight was off track.

Bluff resident Milford Whaitery saw a similar-looking plane while crayfishing. He said he saw it fly into the Transit River Valley in “poor visibility conditions”.

Whaitery thought the pilot had mistaken the valley entrance for Milford Sound.

Another person claimed they saw a plane matching the Cherokee 6’s description flying out to sea over the Moeraki River mouth.

They observed it turn around “about quarter-mile out then head back up the river again”.

That witness thought the pilot may have been looking for the Haast Aerodrome but mistook the Moeraki River for the Haast River.

The missing people were Edward James Sinclair Morrison, 28, Earl Bloomfield Stuart, 40, Elizabeth McGregor Stuart, 37, David John Stuart, 18, Alec Davidson Stuart, 38, Rosie Stuart, 37, and David Hogg, 20.