C 152 Tackles a Digger in NZ

[Rotorwork]

Lucky to escape alive. Check out the photo

 

Regards R W

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/9922390/Light-plane-crashes-near-Feilding

 

Two people have been seriously injured after a light plane collided with a digger on a truck and crashed over a rural road at an airport near Feilding this evening.

 

Witness Bridgette Blumenthal saw the plane collide while it was attempting to land.

 

"I heard a horrific bang and everything went everywhere, " she said. "I went running out there and saw half the plane here and half the plane there.

 

"It was horrendous, I can't believe it. And the bloke in the truck, I don't think he could believe what happened. "

 

The truck was transporting the digger past the airfield.

 

"There were two people in the plane," Blumenthal said. "I came and got blankets for them.

 

"The pilot was a woman who seemed OK and there was a man in shock."

 

Blumenthal said the truck towing the digger had been driving towards Campbell Rd.

 

The light plane was in pieces across the road, with the cockpit and wings crumpled on the runway.

 

The digger was on a trailer towed by a Higgins truck. Higgins staff on the scene did not comment.

 

Police central communication Inspector Mike Coleman said police, fire and ambulance personnel were called to the incident near the end of the runway at Taonui Airfield at 5.07pm.

 

The passenger, in his early 20s, had walked away from the crash.

 

He was inspected by ambulance officers at the scene before being taken to Palmerston North Hospital with serious injuries, Coleman said.

 

CIB Detective Sergeant Ashley Gurney said two people were seriously injured in the crash and had been taken to Palmerston North Hospital.

 

He said it was understood that the plane clipped the digger while coming in to land.

 

"In daylight we can assess the damage to other vehicles," he said.

 

Gurney said the CAA was aware of the incident and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission would be the investigating authority.

 

An investigator would be sent up from Wellington in the morning, he said.

 

"They will start a scene examination and, with police assistance, conduct witness interviews," he said.

 

Gurney said the road would be re-opened tonight.

 

He said another vehicle may have been involved.

 

 

[rankamateur]

A ferris wheel would have been much more gentle on the airframe.

 

 

[Bob Llewellyn]

Lucky to escape alive. Check out the photoRegards R W

http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/9922390/Light-plane-crashes-near-Feilding

 

Two people have been seriously injured after a light plane collided with a digger on a truck and crashed over a rural road at an airport near Feilding this evening.

 

Witness Bridgette Blumenthal saw the plane collide while it was attempting to land.

 

"I heard a horrific bang and everything went everywhere, " she said. "I went running out there and saw half the plane here and half the plane there.

 

"It was horrendous, I can't believe it. And the bloke in the truck, I don't think he could believe what happened. "

 

The truck was transporting the digger past the airfield.

 

"There were two people in the plane," Blumenthal said. "I came and got blankets for them.

 

"The pilot was a woman who seemed OK and there was a man in shock."

 

Blumenthal said the truck towing the digger had been driving towards Campbell Rd.

 

The light plane was in pieces across the road, with the cockpit and wings crumpled on the runway.

 

The digger was on a trailer towed by a Higgins truck. Higgins staff on the scene did not comment.

 

Police central communication Inspector Mike Coleman said police, fire and ambulance personnel were called to the incident near the end of the runway at Taonui Airfield at 5.07pm.

 

The passenger, in his early 20s, had walked away from the crash.

 

He was inspected by ambulance officers at the scene before being taken to Palmerston North Hospital with serious injuries, Coleman said.

 

CIB Detective Sergeant Ashley Gurney said two people were seriously injured in the crash and had been taken to Palmerston North Hospital.

 

He said it was understood that the plane clipped the digger while coming in to land.

 

"In daylight we can assess the damage to other vehicles," he said.

 

Gurney said the CAA was aware of the incident and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission would be the investigating authority.

 

An investigator would be sent up from Wellington in the morning, he said.

 

"They will start a scene examination and, with police assistance, conduct witness interviews," he said.

 

Gurney said the road would be re-opened tonight.

 

He said another vehicle may have been involved.

Nasty. Those diggers oughta be banned... just menaces to life & limb...

 

 

[bexrbetter]

The pilot was reported to have exclaimed "Get out of the way bucket!".

 

(and I hope they are ok).

 

 

[dazza 38]

Jeez it must have been hard to spot a excavator on the back of a truck. She should gave gone to spec savers.

 

 

[johnm]

sounds low at the threshold - probably a peripheral digger or a digger from a blind spot

 

 

[Guernsey]

A ferris wheel would have been much more gentle on the airframe.

If it had been a Morgan Sierra the aircraft would have been ok and the digger would have been a write off..

 

Alan.