A World War 2 Spitfire aircraft, due to fly at this weekend's Wings Over Wairarapa air show, crashed at the Masterton Aerodrome today.
The Mark 9 Spitfire crashed just after 3pm, said a fire communications spokesman.
The pilot, whom 3 News said was owner Doug Brooker, was not injured in the crash. However, the plane would not be able to fly in the air show now.
The cause of the crash was not known.
"Nobody actually saw it, because of course the threshold of that particular runway is out of view from anybody on the aerodrome," show director Tom Williams told 3 News.
The recently rebuilt plane was going to fly decorated 91-year-old World War 2 spitfire pilot John Pattison over Wellington.
Mr Pattison was awarded France's highest honour, the Legion d'Honneur, by French president Jacques Chirac.
He was a commanding officer of 485 New Zealand Spitfire Squadron during the war, and was wounded in battle after his plane was shot down.
NZPA