In brief
A Cessna 172P left Nelson Airport at 9:10 a.m. today, showing a sharp descent from 3,100 to 1,800 feet before disappearing from radar. Search efforts are focused on the Bryant Range, where the rugged terrain makes locating debris difficult. Officials say similar valleys and low‑visibility conditions may have contributed to the loss.
A privately owned Cessna 172P vanished from radar this Tuesday over New Zealand’s Nelson region, prompting a search that now covers the Bryant Range to the northeast of the city.
The aircraft departed Nelson Airport at about 9:10 a.m. local time. Flight‑tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed it reached 3,100 feet, then dropped to 1,800 feet in merely 49 seconds before disappearing from radar.
Search teams are concentrating on the Bryant Range, a rugged area with many similar valleys that can make locating wreckage difficult, experts said.
Officials noted that flying in such terrain below cloud cover is especially hazardous, and that the plane’s sudden loss of altitude could have been caused by the challenging landscape.
The aircraft could carry up to four people. Rescue teams continue to comb the mountainous area for any sign of the missing plane.
