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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Benjamin Lynch

'Incredibly lucky' man walks away from plane crash that saw his aircraft flip upside down

An "incredibly lucky" pilot has walked away from a plane crash that saw his aircraft flip upside down.

The 71-year-old was left with a minor hand injury when his light plane crashed into some trees at Warnervale Airport in New South Wales, around 60 miles from Sydney, Australia.

He was taken to the nearby John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.

Emergency crews were called to site of the crash at roughly 11am, where the pilot appeared to have lost control before crashing and flipping the aircraft when attempting to land.

New South Wales Ambulance Inspector Andrew Craig said: "When we arrived, the aircraft had crashed into trees, landing on its roof.

The pilot, 71, was reported to be in a stable condition (NSW Ambulance)

"Our paramedics know that incidents involving aircraft can be extremely serious and it's a relief the man involved today was not badly injured."

Australia's Transport Safety Bureau has been informed of the incident, while New South Wales Police are investigating.

Craig added: "The pilot has been incredibly lucky to walk away from this crash with minor injuries."

Despite carrying the power and impact of a large jet, light aircraft crashes can still be a cause of major concern.

Emergency services responded quickly to the crash (NSW Ambulance)

On Thursday, August 18, a pilot was taken to hospital in a critical condition when they crashed upside down onto the roof of hangars at Camarillo Airport in the early afternoon.

The "ultralight" aircraft was recovered at the hangar upside down at the California airport.

Emergency services attended the scene and the pilot was airlifted to the Ventura County Medical Centre trauma department. They were reported to have been in a stable condition by the evening.

Emergency services said the pilot was "incredibly lucky to walk away from this crash" (9news)

In a similar incident, a light aircraft crashed in Fife, Scotland, on August 1 when a pilot got into trouble trying to shut his cockpit that had opened mid-flight.

Witness David McKay told the BBC: "It was just right in the corner of my eye, I saw this plane do a summersault and I told the boys I was with but they just looked at me as if I was daft."

Remarkably, no injuries were reported and emergency services responded quickly to clear the surrounding area.

McKay added: "We got to the end of Kinglassie and there in the field was this silver plane. I bumped the kerb and drove over the field and by the time we got there the guy was out, a bit shaken but seemed fine.

"He said the cockpit had opened during the flight and he'd been trying to shut it before he crashed. It's a miracle he's walked away from that."

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