‘I saved the pilot’: Plane crashes in Sydney’s west

A man and woman have walked away unscathed after a light plane on a training flight crashed near a primary school in Sydney’s west, with a witness rushing to their aid and the pilot praised for potentially saving the lives of nearby students.

Emergency services were called to Garnet Street in Bossley Park about 2.30pm on Thursday.

The Piper Cherokee aircraft carrying 340 litres of fuel crashed into trees on the boundary of Terone Park, near Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School. No students on the nearby oval at the time were injured.

Sam Elias said he heard the crash and ran over to help.

“I heard a big bang, I came out to see what happened and I saw an aeroplane... I ran over, saved the pilot, [and] moved the second guy,” he told Nine News.

A flight tracker shows the plane left Bankstown Airport five minutes before the crash.Credit: flightaware.com

“The first [man] we took out was good, but the second one hurt his nose, he had a little bit of blood.

“It would [have been a disaster] if any kids were there, thank god there was no one there.”

A flight tracker shows the plane, registered to a Queensland company, departed Bankstown Airport at 2.23pm and was last seen in the air at 2.28pm after travelling about 13km.

Just before the crash, the pilot radioed a warning.

“Mayday mayday mayday ... got an engine failure just next to Prospect ... south of Prospect,” he said.

NSW Ambulance officers assessed the occupants at the scene. They declined to be taken to hospital and did not suffer any major injuries, a spokesperson said.

A light plane has crashed near a primary school in Sydney’s west.Credit: Nine News

Fire and Rescue NSW said the plane was on a training flight when the pilot made a crash landing.

“The young pilot shut down a series of onboard systems and made the emergency landing. The plane has come to rest amongst trees, near sporting courts, in the corner of the park. The pilot and his passenger suffered minor injuries but have refused treatment by ambulance paramedics,” a spokesman said.

Firefighters have established a 100-metre fire protection zone and are monitoring the area for fuel leaks. Police closed off a nearby street as onlookers gathered and children walked past the crash site.

Witness and parent Marisa Morlin praised the pilot, telling Seven News she believed they had protected nearby families by crashing into the trees.

“Kids play down here all the time, every afternoon,” she said.

“I honestly think that the pilot saved a bigger accident than what’s actually happened.”

Logs show the plane has made several short return trips from Bankstown Airport this month.

Piper Cherokees are two-seat or four-seat light planes designed for flight training and personal use.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched an investigation.

“The ATSB has been notified of an accident near Bankstown, involving a Piper Cherokee light aircraft, and is gathering further information to inform an investigation decision,” a bureau spokesman said.

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