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Post by Brett on Dec 17, 2009 14:45:17 GMT 12
Pilot injured in small plane crash NZPA Last updated 15:17 17/12/2009
A pilot has been taken to hospital after the small plane he was flying crashed north of Gisborne today.
The top dressing plane crashed about 1pm on Whakaangiangi Rd, in Te Araroa, 42km north of Ruatoria, Sergeant David Walker of Gisborne police said.
The pilot was believed to have superficial injuries, but was taken to hospital as a precaution, he said.
No one else was in the plane.
Fire, police, ambulance and a rescue helicopter all attended the crash.
The road was expected to be closed until about 3.30pm while debris from the plane was cleared, Mr Walker said.
It was too early to say how the crash happened, he said.
The Civil Aviation Authority has been notified. www.stuff.co.nz/national/3172540/Pilot-injured-in-small-plane-crash
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Post by Bruce on Dec 17, 2009 15:52:04 GMT 12
I bet you its another "Cessna".....
(its aparently a top dresser too - top hat and tails?)
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Post by mstokes on Dec 17, 2009 18:23:51 GMT 12
If it is a top dressing plane, it would most likely be one of Andy Stevensons Crescos. Glad to see the pilot is alright.
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Post by Brett on Dec 18, 2009 8:02:09 GMT 12
Pilot escapes Coast plane crash
A pilot has escaped with minor injury after crashing his top dressing plane near Te Araroa.
The place crashed into a paddock at Whakaangiangi Road, blocking it off to traffic, while the rest of the wreckage remained in a paddock.
Emergency services arrived to free the man from the plane just after 1pm.
The man was trapped in the cockpit for at least 40 minutes, Sergeant Dave Walker said.
The plane had flipped, landing upside-down.
It is not known if it was taking off or landing, or if the pilot is a Gisborne man.
He was freed in a “group effort” of firefighters, ambulance and police staff and flown to Gisborne Hospital.
It is believed he suffered superficial injuries but will by fully assessed this afternoon.
Police will provide a scene guard for the wreckage tonight before the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority will arrive tomorrow to investigate.
The wing blocking the road was removed and the road was re-opened later this afternoon.www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=15139
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Post by kiwibeavers on Dec 19, 2009 8:59:14 GMT 12
Pilot Alex McHardy is ok, receiving 2 stitches only after being dug out, his helmet/head were below ground level.
Aircraft was Cresco LTA.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Dec 20, 2009 11:52:49 GMT 12
ZK-LTA at Napier 2006, engine test run  |
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 21, 2009 6:33:59 GMT 12
Great news on Alex, sad for the aircraft though. Hopefully he makes a speedy recovery  |
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Post by angelsonefive on Dec 21, 2009 7:04:00 GMT 12
Can anyone confirm the phase of the flight when the the accident happened ?
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Post by kiwibeavers on Dec 21, 2009 7:23:07 GMT 12
A Gisborne pilot trapped for more than 40 minutes after his plane crashed just south of Te Araroa yesterday managed to escape with only minor injury.
Alex McHardy, 35, was attempting a take-off in a top-dressing plane from a grass airstrip near Whakaangiangi Road, about 15 kilometres from Te Araroa, when it crashed at about 1pm.
The plane flipped and crashed upside-down by a fence about 100 metres from the end of the runway, next to the rural road.
Part of the small plane’s wing lay across the road, blocking it off to traffic for about two hours.
The National Rescue Co-ordination Centre was notified of the crash.
A resident who saw the plane called emergency services, which arrived and rescued Mr McHardy, who had been trapped for more than 40 minutes, Sergeant Dave Walker said.
No one else was in the plane.
Gisborne Senior Station Officer Bernie Bull said Te Araroa volunteer firefighters, who were among the first on the scene, used extraction and excavation gear to cut the pilot out.
“They used a digger to get access to the man and stabilise the plane,” Mr Bull said.
“Then the fire crew dug the earth under it to get enough room to ease the pilot out.”
Gisborne firefighters were flown to the scene by Gisborne Helicopters to assist. They tailed the Lion Foundation Eastland Rescue Helicopter, which transported Mr McHardy to Gisborne Hospital suffering from pain and cuts to his right shoulder.
A St John spokesman said Mr McHardy had been freed from the plane and was walking when the rescue helicopter arrived.
“It sounds like he was very, very lucky,” he said.
Firefighters doused the site in foam to prevent spilt fuel causing problems.
Representatives from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority arrive from Wellington and Tauranga today to investigate the crash.
Police kept a scene guard on the site overnight.
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Post by angelsonefive on Dec 21, 2009 8:21:40 GMT 12
Thanks, kiwibeaver.
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