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ALBUM - DH90A Dragonfly ZK-AFB - crashed 12 February 1962.
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DescriptionMissing: Brian Geoffrey Chadwick - aged 47,Darrell Stanley Sheils - aged 33,Louis Rowan - aged 25,Elwyn Saville - aged 20,Valerie Gay Saville - aged 22.
The aircraft was on a tourist scenic flight that left Christchurch at 9.52am on the above date, bound for Milford Sound.
There were many apparent sightings and ‘hearing’observations on both the eastern side and the western side of the South Island in the areas that the pilot, Brian Chadwick was known to fly, which caused great confusion for the searchers as they didn’t really have any clue as to where to start searching! The outcome was that it became the biggest air search to ever happen in New Zealand, and the searching still continues every so often, to this day.
It became known as “The Honeymooners Flight” as Elwyn and Valerie Saville were on their honeymoon.
So far I have done seven searches for this aircraft and I believe I now have narrowed it down to quite a localized area in Jacobs River also known as Makawhio River. If you click on the above image you will find a link where you can download a free Power-Point Presentation in the form of a 6.11 Mb pdf file which shows a lot of the evidence I have found, that points to ZK-AFB being in that river.
There is more fascinating evidence to back this up in my book “TRACED ...yet still missing!”
You can read about the first three aerial searches (Nov 2007, Dec 2007, Feb 2008) that I flew in my home-built V8 powered aeroplane in the first Chapter of my book that I have also on the “About Myself” section on this web site. Contained in that book is also the story of our first failed attempt (May 2008) to do a ground search in Jacobs River. We also did a helicopter overfly of the area in Dec 2008 which can be read about elsewhere on this site.
The further two ground searches to date (2010) that I (and friends) carried out in Jacobs River Valley is briefly recorded here if you continue to read on.
https://www.findlostaircraft.co.nz/zk-afb.htmlDate of Photo12 February 1962Map[1] External LinkFinda Lost AircraftContributorGavin Grimmer
The aircraft was on a tourist scenic flight that left Christchurch at 9.52am on the above date, bound for Milford Sound.
There were many apparent sightings and ‘hearing’observations on both the eastern side and the western side of the South Island in the areas that the pilot, Brian Chadwick was known to fly, which caused great confusion for the searchers as they didn’t really have any clue as to where to start searching! The outcome was that it became the biggest air search to ever happen in New Zealand, and the searching still continues every so often, to this day.
It became known as “The Honeymooners Flight” as Elwyn and Valerie Saville were on their honeymoon.
So far I have done seven searches for this aircraft and I believe I now have narrowed it down to quite a localized area in Jacobs River also known as Makawhio River. If you click on the above image you will find a link where you can download a free Power-Point Presentation in the form of a 6.11 Mb pdf file which shows a lot of the evidence I have found, that points to ZK-AFB being in that river.
There is more fascinating evidence to back this up in my book “TRACED ...yet still missing!”
You can read about the first three aerial searches (Nov 2007, Dec 2007, Feb 2008) that I flew in my home-built V8 powered aeroplane in the first Chapter of my book that I have also on the “About Myself” section on this web site. Contained in that book is also the story of our first failed attempt (May 2008) to do a ground search in Jacobs River. We also did a helicopter overfly of the area in Dec 2008 which can be read about elsewhere on this site.
The further two ground searches to date (2010) that I (and friends) carried out in Jacobs River Valley is briefly recorded here if you continue to read on.
https://www.findlostaircraft.co.nz/zk-afb.htmlDate of Photo12 February 1962Map[1] External LinkFinda Lost AircraftContributorGavin Grimmer
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)Jacobs RiverPersonBrian Geoffrey ChadwickDarrell Stanley SheilsLouis RowanElwyn Saville Valerie Gay SavilleOrganisation (eg business)DH90A Dragonfly ZK-AFB EventDH90A Dragonfly ZK-AFB -crashed 12 February 1962.
From Facebook
Date Created23rd September 2022Comments
John Bennett
Very interesting I remember the day it went missing very clearly as we were working on the east shore of lake Pukakai building investigation roads for the MOW with two Caterpillar D8s be,longing to Burnetts Motors Ashburton It was a drizzly morning and as we worked under MOW supervision we were rained off waiting for the rain to clear when we heard the aircraft flying down the other side of Lake Pukakai about a mile away we could not see it because of patches of low cloud but could hear it plainly later that night when we heard it had gone missing we realised that was the aircraft we had heard that morning
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
John Bennett they reckon the pilot may have gone down the wrong valley and tried to turn back
Reply7h
John Bennett
Heather Newby Yes there are a lot of theories about what may have happened but he was a very experienced pilot and knew the area well apparently it has intrigued me ever since there was a very good book written by Richard Waugh about it
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
i wonder if it was the weather that was a problem?
Wendy Gilmour
John Bennett I've got his book as well
Kelvin Coghlan
reminds me of fr Cyril Crosbie and his missing flight in 1978.
Gregory Ross
John Bennett could it have ditched in the lake? Could it be sitting on the bottom still?
John Bennett
Gregory Ross could be in.a lake or perhaps the sea I suppose not Pukakai anyway it was seen south of there
Gregory Ross
I was working for NZFS at the head of the Toaroha in summer 1984, when we heard on our transistor radio in our hut that a light plane with the Turner family (mum, dad, and two kids) aboard flying from Te Anau to Westport (or somewhere similar in the South Island over the Alps) had gone missing. That plane has never been found, as far as I know.
Tony Froome
A mate and I trapped both sides of Jacobs earlys 80s 3 km either side to the tree line neva came across anything there. James Scott heli hunted all of that area 4 years??
Kelvin Reiher
this is bloody intresting read still dosent answer the question but explains circumstances behind it. also of intrest it's only 1 of 17 aircraft still missing in nz
May be an image of text that says 'MISSING! Aircraft Missing in New Zealand 1928- 1928-2000 Chris Rudge'
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
Kelvin Reiher https://www.findlostaircraft.co.nz/zk-afb.html
Dragonfly DH90A ZK-AFB
FINDLOSTAIRCRAFT.CO.NZ
Dragonfly DH90A ZK-AFB
Dragonfly DH90A ZK-AFB
Dave Bethwaite
I have just finished reading the book. I wish someone could find the crash sites and give closure to this fateful event.
John Bennett
Very interesting I remember the day it went missing very clearly as we were working on the east shore of lake Pukakai building investigation roads for the MOW with two Caterpillar D8s be,longing to Burnetts Motors Ashburton It was a drizzly morning and as we worked under MOW supervision we were rained off waiting for the rain to clear when we heard the aircraft flying down the other side of Lake Pukakai about a mile away we could not see it because of patches of low cloud but could hear it plainly later that night when we heard it had gone missing we realised that was the aircraft we had heard that morning
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
John Bennett they reckon the pilot may have gone down the wrong valley and tried to turn back
Reply7h
John Bennett
Heather Newby Yes there are a lot of theories about what may have happened but he was a very experienced pilot and knew the area well apparently it has intrigued me ever since there was a very good book written by Richard Waugh about it
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
i wonder if it was the weather that was a problem?
Wendy Gilmour
John Bennett I've got his book as well
Kelvin Coghlan
reminds me of fr Cyril Crosbie and his missing flight in 1978.
Gregory Ross
John Bennett could it have ditched in the lake? Could it be sitting on the bottom still?
John Bennett
Gregory Ross could be in.a lake or perhaps the sea I suppose not Pukakai anyway it was seen south of there
Gregory Ross
I was working for NZFS at the head of the Toaroha in summer 1984, when we heard on our transistor radio in our hut that a light plane with the Turner family (mum, dad, and two kids) aboard flying from Te Anau to Westport (or somewhere similar in the South Island over the Alps) had gone missing. That plane has never been found, as far as I know.
Tony Froome
A mate and I trapped both sides of Jacobs earlys 80s 3 km either side to the tree line neva came across anything there. James Scott heli hunted all of that area 4 years??
Kelvin Reiher
this is bloody intresting read still dosent answer the question but explains circumstances behind it. also of intrest it's only 1 of 17 aircraft still missing in nz
May be an image of text that says 'MISSING! Aircraft Missing in New Zealand 1928- 1928-2000 Chris Rudge'
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
Kelvin Reiher https://www.findlostaircraft.co.nz/zk-afb.html
Dragonfly DH90A ZK-AFB
FINDLOSTAIRCRAFT.CO.NZ
Dragonfly DH90A ZK-AFB
Dragonfly DH90A ZK-AFB
Dave Bethwaite
I have just finished reading the book. I wish someone could find the crash sites and give closure to this fateful event.
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West Coast New Zealand History (23rd Sep 2022). ALBUM - DH90A Dragonfly ZK-AFB - crashed 12 February 1962.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 3rd Apr 2026 13:57, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/31467