The man was on board one of three Iroquois helicopters flying in formation from Ohakea air base to Anzac Day services in Wellington, when one of the air craft crashed in heavy cloud, killing the three men at 6.45am yesterday.
They were 28-year-old Flying Officer Daniel Stephen Gregory, a pilot, 33-year-old Flight Lieutenant Hayden Peter Madsen, also a pilot, and 24-year-old Corporal Benjamin Andrew Carson, a crewman.
Another crewman survived and was last night in a stable condition in Wellington Hospital.
Several investigations were launched yesterday into the tragedy, which came on the day New Zealand paused to remember those who gave their lives for their country.
Investigators today will continue sifting through wreckage trying to discover why the Iroquois crashed. The Iroquois were scheduled to take part in four separate flyovers of Anzac services in Wellington.
Air Vice-marshall Graham Lintott, head of the air force, said: "Today we remember those who lost their lives doing their duty at Gallipoli 95 years ago, and now we must add the names of three more who have lost their lives in the service of their country.
"They were all too young, and all with good futures to look forward to, and now we mourn their loss."
Prime Minister John Key is cutting short his trip to Turkey and the Middle East and hoped to be back in the country by tomorrow morning, to attend the men's funerals.
"I am shocked and saddened by this tragic event.
My thoughts are with the families of the victims, the family of the injured man, and the entire New Zealand Defence Force," Mr Key said in a statement yesterday.
The tussocky hills above Pukerua Bay, about 40km northeast of Wellington, where the accident happened were so shrouded in cloud that the other two helicopter crews were initially oblivious to the tragedy.
When the crews realised they had lost contact and returned to investigate, they were forced to land not far above sea level and send the crewman in on foot to find the wreckage.
An emergency locator beacon had been set off providing the general location, raising rescuers' worst fears and sparking a massive emergency response.
"None of us could get in there to see," said Westpac rescue helicopter crewman Dave Greenberg.
"He was going to see if he could find wreckage or if they were OK.
He didn't know what he was going to find.
"He was a real hero in my eyes. He did an amazing job.
"He probably ran the better part of 2km through some pretty tough terrain."
Mr Greenberg said when the cloud cleared soon after the rescue helicopter arrived, the man communicated with his crew using hand signals to locate the survivor after confirming he had found no other signs of life.
Defence Minister Wayne Mapp would not add to conjecture that the low cloud in the area was a likely factor in the crash, but said that would form part of the investigations.
The crash was so horrific that police search and rescue teams and specialist disaster victim identification team members were called to assist air force personnel who were also investigating the accident.
The survivor, who has leg and chest injuries and had not been named last night, was found about 25 metres from the wreck, wedged against some bushes in a steep gully.
It was not known whether he was thrown clear or crawled there.
A Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic was winched down to retrieve him and brought the injured man, who has not been named, to safety.
He was then taken to Wellington hospital where he remained in a serious but stable condition last night.
Witnesses described hearing a helicopter flying over what they said was a common flight path, and then silence.
Nearby residents Graham and Kathy McLauchlan could yesterday see the crash site in the fleeting moments that the mist and cloud moved away.
Mr McLauchlan said the couple often heard helicopters in the area.
"We're used to it and you hear them coming and you hear them build up and then pass and this one built up and then stopped and we knew that was a bit strange," he said.
"The question is what happened. They were heading south and they hit the south side of the hill. They've hit the wrong side of the hill."
Later in the day, crew from the remaining two Iroquois went in to help with the rescue.
Rescuers had been given access to a farm track, where they removed the bodies last night, to take them to 4WD vehicles before transporting them to funeral homes.
Kapiti-Mana police area commander Inspector John Spence said about 20 people had been involved with the hillside rescue which was 90 seconds by helicopter, but 90 minutes by car from his incident control base on State Highway 1.
A sombre Air Commodore Stewart Baillie, who attended the dawn service at the Dunedin Cenotaph, spoke at Montecillo Veterans Home and Hospital shortly after learning of the accident yesterday.
