A Civil Aviation Authority investigator is back to the scene of a light plane crash in North Canterbury.
The aircraft nose-dived in a farm paddock near Rakahuri Rd, in Glentui, shortly before lunchtime on Wednesday.
Canterbury Recreational Aircraft Club chief flying instructor, Stewart Bufton, was in the aircraft with a trainee pilot when it crashed.
The two injured men were taken to Christchurch Hospital – one by helicopter, one by ambulance.
Canterbury Recreational Aircraft Club president Doug Anderson said yesterday he "was blown away that no one died. If I saw the plane without knowing the people had survived, I would have thought all would have died".
“Stewart is a very experienced pilot, having worked for over 15 years, teaching hundreds of people,” Anderson said.
He said he understood Bufton had a broken leg and arm.
Senior Constable Kieran Young, who was at the scene of the crash, said it appeared the aircraft’s landing gear had hit powerlines before the plane crashed in a farmer’s paddock.
"They are lucky to be alive with relatively minor injuries in the grand scheme of things," he said.
Emergency services were called after the plane crashed at a farm off Rakahuri Rd, near Glentui, at 11.35am.
Anderson said the aircraft was a Tecnam p92 Eco Classic. The club owns two other planes like it, which have more than 6000 hours flight time.
A St John spokesman said both patients were initially treated for serious injuries.
The crash caused a power outage on Hayland Rd. MainPower re-connected the power lines on Wednesday afternoon.
- Reporting Star News and NZ Herald
