Horror moment plane crashes into parked car moments after takeoff
A shaken pilot reportedly fell to his knees in front of a witness, after the light plane he was flying crashed into a parked car in Sydney on Saturday.
Dramatic footage has shown the moment a pilot’s light plane crashed into a parked car in Sydney’s west on Saturday morning.
The 28-year-old pilot, who was not physically injured, got into trouble moments after taking off from Bankstown Airport at around 11.30am.
According to flight tracking software, he turned in a left-hand loop and was understood to be airborne for about four minutes when he experienced engine failure.
He tried to land on the nearby Bankstown Trotting Recreational Club but came down instead in a car park and slammed into a parked Mazda after skidding for several metres and losing part of the plane’s wing.
CCTV from the scene showed the light plane careering towards the car park before crashing into the vehicle.
Five people were evacuated from the area as firefighters sealed off the car park and contained a minor fuel leak.
While the pilot escaped unscathed, he was treated for shock and “was trembling like you wouldn’t believe,” according to a witness.
“He saw me and he just fell to his knees,” witness Sharon told journalists.
“The first thing he said was, ‘Can I give you a hug?’ but he was just trembling like you wouldn’t believe.
“I just said, ‘You’re going to see your baby – it’s only metal, you’re OK and you’re going to see your baby.’”
Bankstown Paceway operations manager Steve Thurlow said the pilot told him he had a child on the way.
“I felt sorry for him,” he told 9News.
“He said, ‘I just got married and I’ve got a kid on the way and all.’
“He said, ‘I thought to myself this is it.’”
Mr Thurlow said he saw the crashed aircraft while locking the track gate on the horse track.
“I come up and look across and seen that [the plane] and thought, ‘What the frick is going on here?’ and I come straight over,” he told 7 News.
The plane was towed away after the fuel leak was contained.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now gathering information to determine whether it will launch a full-scale investigation.
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