Joel Treister was killed when a wing detached from the aircraft during training.  The other pilot managed to bail out and survived. Anecdotally, the aircraft was found by a farmer, who reported the crash, but it was not followed up quickly, which led to Joel being initially reported missing . He is related to the Triester hat manifacturing company of Wellington, where he worked prior to joining the Air Force. The company made hats for the NZ services, including the "lemon squeezer" and also uniform hats for the railways as well as fashion items.