Two pilots crash-landed their plane into a paddock at Bridport on Sunday afternoon after an amateur flight around Tasmania’s North-East.
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The men, aged in their 50s and 60s, were from Launceston and Scottsdale respectively, and escaped with non-life-threatening injuries. Tasmania Police Sergeant Andrew Hanson said the main pilot had some suspected spinal injuries, and was transported by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
His co-pilot was examined by staff from Ambulance Tasmania but walked away from the scene unharmed.
Sergeant Hanson said the exact cause of the crash will be investigated by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau.
“As the pilots were coming into the Bridport Airport here they were doing some touch and runs, which I understand is a normal practise to practise their landing, and on the third time they touched and flew off they had some engine difficulties at about five hundred feet,” he said.
“From there there have picked the spot [in the paddock] because they believed it was the safest and most appropriate spot given the circumstances and brought the aircraft to a safe landing.”
Police said the pilots of the Europa, a two seat single engine aircraft, were both qualified.
“One had significant experience and the other has been a pilot for about three years,” Sergeant Hanson said.
“I haven't had a lot to do with aviation crashes but you can see from the plane itself, they’ve obviously had their heads about them and have done a very good job in landing it the way they did and there has basically been very little damage to the aircraft.”
Bridport resident Kerry Jensen said she noticed the plane flying very close to her house.
“We could see it very clearly from our driveway and we knew it wasn’t right,” she said. It is not uncommon to see a light aircraft flying above, but Ms Jensen said they were “usually a lot higher”. “We heard lots and lots of fire engines and that is not the norm for Bridport, it is usually very quiet,” she said.