The body of the pilot of a plane that went missing en route to New Plymouth last night has been found.
The Cessna 152 had been flying from Auckland's North Shore to New Plymouth, when it disappeared near Te Kuiti in the King Country last night.
The Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) received a beacon distress signal from the plane about 7.30pm and tracked the beacon to a spot 35km west of Te Kuiti.
RCC spokesman Ross Henderson said a search team had located the plane wreckage in rugged terrain 41km west of Te Kuiti at 10am.
The pilot's body was found nearby about 10.40am.
The pilot is yet to be identified, but police said he was aged in his 20s and an experienced member of the New Plymouth aero club.
