Nine people,including four foreigners were killed in New Zealand's worst air accident in 17 years,when a skydiving plane crashed and burst into flames at the remote Fox Glacier tourist spot. The Fletcher FU24 turbine-powered plane,was carrying a pilot,four skydive instructors and four tourists,who had been about to go skydiving. The names of the nine people killed in the plane crash have been released,'Herald Sun' reported. The aircraft,belonging to Skydiving New Zealand,caught fire after takeoff from an airstrip at Fox Glacier yesterday. The four tourists who died were identified as Patrick Byrne,26,from County Wexford,Ireland; Glen Bourke,18,from Melbourne,Australia; Annita Kirsten,23,from Germany; and Brad Coker,24,from Farnborough in the United Kingdom. The New Zealanders who died were pilot Chaminda Senadhira,33,and skydiving instructors Adam Bennett,47,Michael Suter,32,Christopher McDonald,62,and Rodney Miller,55,from Greymouth. A team of six Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) investigators were attempting to get to the crash site today. Police said the plane crashed at the end of the runway then burst into flames. Witnesses said it was briefly airborne before crashing. The disaster was the worst air tragedy in New Zealand since nine people also died in a plane crash in October 1993 at nearby Franz Josef Glacier. The following year,seven people died when a sightseeing helicopter crashed near Fox Glacier,and in 2003 a chartered Piper Navajo Chieftain crashed on landing near Christchurch in 2003,killing eight people. The west coast of New Zealand's South Island attracts thousands of tourists annually,brought to the area by the stunning mountain scenery and fjords. Travellers,many of them from abroad,support a burgeoning tourism industry catering for a range of interests,including high-adrenaline sports and trekking.
