British man and New Zealand man die after their small plane crashes in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A British man and a New Zealand man have died after their small plane crashed in New Zealand.

Police on Monday said 46-year-old Christopher Howell, of Britain, and 48-year-old Christopher Rawlings, of Clive, New Zealand, died Sunday when the Piper Tomahawk plane they were flying crashed in a riverbed near the North Island town of Hastings.

Police say Howell was at the controls practicing manoeuvrs at the time of the crash. They say he was intending to obtain a New Zealand pilot license.

It’s not clear what caused the crash and the country’s Civil Aviation Authority is investigating.

The plane was owned by a local aviation club.