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Two die in mid-air collision in New Zealand

By DPA,

Wellington : Why two light planes collided in mid-air killing the chief instructor of a New Zealand flying school and her student remained a mystery Tuesday as investigators began probing the accident.

Jess Neeson, 27, chief instructor of Flight Training Manawatu, and a female student in her 50s died when their Cessna plummeted into a farm paddock near Feilding, 155 km northeast of the capital Wellington, Monday.

Another student, a man who had almost completed his commercial pilot’s licence, escaped injury after managing to land the other damaged plane at a nearby airstrip.

Flying school chief executive Michael Bryant told Radio New Zealand Tuesday the two planes would have been in communication and should have been aware of each other’s position.

He said the planes were on a training flight and appear to have collided in fine weather conditions.