Haze At Sydney's International Airport As An Australian Commercial Aircraft Prepares To Land
An Australian commercial aircraft prepares to land in the haze at Sydney's International Airport July 15, 2014. Reuters/Jason Reed

Glowing tributes were paid to Air New Zealand's senior woman pilot, Captain Barbarich, who died at the controls of a plane, moments after it landed in Perth. Last Sunday, when the departed pilot's body arrived at Auckland airport, covered in a white casket with flowers atop, a guard of honour was given by the colleagues who turned up in full uniform at the airport. Her funeral will be held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell.

Bahraich's last journey as a pilot was on Oct. 26, when she guided a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner onto the tarmac with 233 passengers on board. The flight was from Auckland. Shortly after the landing, Barbarich suffered a suspected brain aneurism and was attended by two doctors. Later, the pilot was shifted to the Royal Perth Hospital, where she died. David Morgan, Chief of Air Safety in Air New Zealand said the aircraft was fully under control and there were four captains in the cockpit, reports New Zealnd Herald and The Age.

Wonderful Person

Sue Telford, New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation president said Barbarich's death was a "huge loss." The Airline's condolence notice remembered her as the "darling wife of Michael and proud mother of Bianca and Alex. She left us far too early and may her spirit fly free till we meet again and said, "we love you always," referring her as Captain Annie.

The pilot's husband Michael Bacher described her as "the most wonderful mother and wife you could have ever wished for. She touched many lives and was a perfect professional. It was too early and devastating." Daughter Bianca called her pilot mother "an incredible mother and a great personality."

Trail Blazer

David Morgan, Chief of flight operations and safety in Air New Zealand recalled that Barbarich was a trailblazer in a male-dominated profession. He said, "She was well-known as a long-haul pilot who served 27 years flying domestically and internationally". Morgan said the airline would do its best to support the pilot's family, reported Stuff.Co.Nz.