'Buy a Lotto ticket mate': Pilot's dramatic escape from plane crash
A pilot has miraculously survived a crash landing in which the Cessna he was flying flipped over onto its roof at a South Australian airport.
Witnesses had to dodge power lines at Parafield Airport to help the pilot, who collapsed in their arms after staggering from the plane.
“As he hit the lines you could see sparks along the power lines going back to Main North Road,” witness Myles Neal told 7 News.
“It’s caught the cable and it’s decelerated fairly quickly and then gone head first into the ground,” said another witness, Phil.
“The plane’s landed face down, then flipped onto its back.”
As the plane leaked fuel, witnesses ran to help the 55-year-old Queensland pilot as he crawled out of the crashed plane.
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“He’s pretty much collapsed in our arms, as I got to him I put my arm out and said, ‘just take it easy, lay down’, trying to keep him calm,” Phil said.
Mr Neal said the pilot “just lost power and down he went”.
Incredibly, the pilot was taken to hospital suffering only minor injuries.
“Buy a Lotto ticket mate, and don’t forget about me if you win,” Mr Neal said.
Investigators will interview the pilot while mechanics prepare a report on the Cessna.
Power to 700 homes in Mawson Lakes was cut off after the crash, but has since been restored.
On Wednesday afternoon two cranes were used to flip the aircraft, which was then taken to Parafield Airport for examination.
