THE CREW OF a New Zealand fishing trawler netted a gruesome catch today when they hauled up a plane with a body inside, police said.

The trawler San Kawhai was fishing near Great Barrier Island, off the coast of the North Island, when the crew made the grim find.

“Fishermen on board have reported that a body is in the wreckage of the plane which is being transported to a bay near the island,” police said.

In a statement, New Zealand Police said that although the plane is severely damaged, “some features are consistent with the plane that was last piloted by missing Auckland man Daroish Kraidy”.

Police said they were contacting the family of Auckland pilot Kraidy, 53, who went missing in March this year while flying his aerobatic bi-plane in the area.

Kraidy’s wife Judy said she hoped the remains were those of her husband, so she could have them cremated and scattered in his favourite spot.

“I’m in shock with relief,” she told Fairfax Media. “I always said that if he was ever found it would be by accident.”

A police disaster victim identification expert is due to carry out a detailed inspection “of the wreckage and its contents” tomorrow in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority.

- Additional reporting by Susan Ryan