Tuesday, January 09, 2018

Cessna 172R Skyhawk, Ardmore Flying School: Accident occurred January 09, 2018 in Hunua Ranges, Auckland, New Zealand

The Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew lifted both the pilot and flying instructor out of the Hunua Ranges bush where the plane made an emergency landing on January 9.

An aerial view of the dense bush, taken from the crash scene by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew.


A light plane that came down in dense bush in South Auckland on Tuesday evening is understood to have made a precautionary landing due to a suspected fuel leak.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) senior communications advisor Philippa Lagan confirmed an Ardmore Flying School instructor and student were on a terrain awareness training flight that went down in the Hunua Ranges.

"The latest information we have was that it was a precautionary landing due to a fuel leak.

An aerial view of the dense bush, taken from the crash scene by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew.

"The plane is a Cessna 172 but we're not sure of the state of it as it's in an isolated, very dense bush area and hasn't been retrieved yet," Lagan said today.

The CAA is investigating the incident that saw the pilot lodge a distress call with nearby Ardmore Airport at around 4.45pm on Tuesday.

The pilot said they had made an emergency landing, but were unsure exactly where they were in the Hunua Ranges regional park.

Police and other emergency services spent some time in the area searching for the aircraft before locating the pair.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter said crew helped locate a man in his late teens and a woman in her 20s. 

The pair were winched to safety with minor to moderate injuries.

A Westpac crew member said "they were lucky to be alive". 

A person answering the phone at Ardmore Flying School on Wednesday said it wouldn't be commenting at this stage.

Story and photos ➤ https://www.stuff.co.nz

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