Earlier this week, police discovered the wreckage of a plane that went down off the Waikato coast in New Zealand, resulting in the death of the two passengers. However, with initial attempts failing to even spot the bodies, commercial divers will need to be brought in to investigate the downed aircraft and recover the bodies.<\/p>\n
As reported by Radio New Zealand News, the plane was carrying Eric Hertz, CEO of New Zealand-based mobile phone company 2degrees, and his wife Kathy to Timaru, New Zealand before disappearing off radar Saturday afternoon. With the use of the underwater camera, police spotted the Beechcraft Baron roughly 56 meters below water level, bringing in an aviation expert to help identify the aircraft.<\/p>\n
The police have been working on solutions with navy specialists to determine the best options to perform the retrieval at such a depth. According to the news source, the navy specialists, led by Warrant Officer James Harper, can reach a depth of 54 meters. Meanwhile, commercial divers have the ability to get down to 60 meters below the surface.<\/p>\n
Such a procedure though, will not be easy or cheap, according to Harper.<\/p>\n
"It's not a quick process," he said. "There's a whole raft of regulations and rules and things we have to do to prove that we can go there and do it safely without endangering somebody."<\/p>\n
However, the news source reports that there is a dearth of such equipment in New Zealand, with the only known commercial divers currently working elsewhere, which may lead to an even longer wait. Additionally, there is uncertainty as to who will be responsible for paying the divers. The Civil Aviation Authority said the cost will either be passed onto the family or insurers.<\/p>\n