Essential dental records found
PA Wanganui
The Wainuiomata police yesterday made a breakthrough in their search for dental records to identify positively a pilot killed in a light plane crash near Wellington on February’s. Police had previously not been able formally to identify the pilot, believed to be Derek Allan Covell, aged 30, of Wellington, because they could not find vital dental records. Mr Covell had worked in the Wanganui district in the early 1980s and In the Gisborne area where he had relatives.
Sergeant Mike Hubbard, of the Wainuiomata police, said yesterday that after extensive news media publicity about difficulties in finding the records, the police had learned Mr Covell had spent some time in Nelson. A check by the Nelson police with local dentists produced positive results, Sergeant Hubbard said. He said he was confident that the Wellington Coroner would be able to announce a positive identification early next week.
