A pilot and his passenger were left floating on a wing after their plane hit the water at a remote part of Stewart Island yesterday afternoon.
The Rescue Co-ordination Centre received a distress call from a South East Air beacon at 2.45pm at Doughboy Bay, in the southwest corner of Stewart Island.
A spokesman said a helicopter and a plane were dispatched to the area and located the Piper Cherokee plane in 2m of water near the mouth of the bay.
The pilot and passenger were found on the beach near the scene of the accident.
Bill Moffatt, of South East Air, said the incident occurred immediately after the experienced Invercargill-based pilot attempted to take off from the sandy beach at low tide.
"It is pretty hard to speculate [about the cause] at this stage. The engine didn't stop or anything like that."
The Civil Aviation Authority would investigate the case of the incident, he said.
The pilot and his passenger were left standing on the wing of the floating plane, before "deciding whether they would get wet or not".
They both eventually decided to swim to the beach. They were wet and cold but unhurt.
"We probably won't charge [the passenger] now."
Mr Moffatt said he visited the site yesterday, where the wingtip of the plane was still visible, and assisted the helicopter with retrieving the plane.
It was too early to conclude if the $150,000 plane was a write-off, but confirmed it was insured.
"We are just happy everyone is fine, and it is a good outcome really."
