Since 1911, when the first powered aircraft rose into the New Zealand sky, 23 men women and children, along with their aircraft have been lost without trace. Findlostaircraft.co.nz lists 18 planes that have disappeared and despite rigorous searches, no trace of them has ever been discovered. The public are both frustrated and fascinated by mysteries. In the case of lost transports, they are keen to know what happened to those who are missing. They conjure up stories of gruelling survival in dense bush. They consider if the deaths of the missing were fast or if sinister behaviour was exercised in the quest for survival. I’ve listed brief reports on six missing New Zealand aircraft to give you an overview of these losses. Some involve one person (the pilot) while others involve the deaths of passengers of all ages. read more