Pilot clipped van carrying brother

A pilot killed yesterday after his plane hit a van occupied by his brother was the heir to one of the country's largest coastal land development companies.

Stacey Jarrod Hopper, 27, died after the Yak-52 single-engine plane crashed about 3.55pm at One Tree Point, 38km southeast of Whangarei.

Witnesses told police the small plane had taken off at Marsden Cove Marina and travelled about 200 metres when a strong gust of wind caused its wing to dip.

One wing clipped the parked van where Mr Hopper's 24-year-old brother Gray and two others were sitting, causing the van to roll.

The plane continued for 100 metres with a broken wing before hitting the ground and catching fire.

Mr Hopper was flying home to Auckland in a family plane when the crash happened, family friend Paul Shanahan told The Dominion Post.

The Hopper family owned Hopper Developments, a coastal land development company which Stacey was being groomed to take over from his father.

They also owned civil engineering company Hopper Construction, where another of the van's occupants, Simon Fitzpatrick, was a manager.

Mr Fitzpatrick's 10-year-old son was also in the van.

Mr Shanahan said witnessing Stacey's death had been "horrific" for Gray.

Stacey had been flying since he was 18 and gained his private pilot's licence two years ago, Mr Shanahan said.

He had flown the family's plane many times before.

Fire Service northern communications centre shift manager Megan Ruru said the crash sparked a scrub fire, which firefighters eventually brought under control.