Lucky escape in emergency landing
Two men have had a lucky escape when they were forced to make an emergency landing in their ultralight plane near Port Augusta.
The quick-thinking pilot has been dubbed a hero after safely bringing the aircraft down.
He made a frantic may-day call just before 11.30am as a joy flight took a sudden turn.
“He had engine failure in the circuit area and decided to land here,” Julian Hepwell from the Port Augusta Flying Club said.
Half an hour after taking off from the flying club, the ultralight’s engine seized and the 55-year-old pilot had to make an emergency landing.
He managed to keep the craft upright as it skidded through scrub.
Police at the scene said it was lucky both men escaped with their lives.
The pilot received cuts and bruises, but seemed more concerned about his damaged pride and joy.
His passenger suffered suspected spinal injuries.
While his plane is being pulled apart, the pilot is being hailed a hero.
If he had continued on his flight path, the emergency landing could have happened on top of nearby houses.
Instead, he brought it down in the empty paddock.
“You spend most of your life training for these sorts of things and hopefully they never happen, but when they do, to see it pulled off like this, it’s a great credit to him,” Mr Hepwell said.
