Dramatic moment light plane crashes at Bankstown Airport in Sydney – but the pilot miraculously walked away unscathed
A pilot and his partner miraculously walked away unscathed after their light plane lost all power and narrowly avoided crashing into suburban homes before belly-flopping on a runway.
Incredible video footage captured the moment pilot Jake Swanepoel desperately tried to guide his light aircraft over homes in Western Sydney after suffering an engine failure shortly before 2pm on Sunday.
The small Cessna plane went through the top of a tree and barely cleared two hangars at Bankstown Airport, in the city’s west, before crashing onto the runway and screeching to a halt on the grass about 150 meters later.
Incredible video footage captured the moment pilot Jake Swanepoel desperately tried to guide his light aircraft over homes in Western Sydney after suffering an engine failure shortly before 2pm on Sunday (Pictured: Mr Swanepoel and his partner Karin after they miraculously escaped unscathed the crash had run away)
The plane clipped the top of a tree and barely reached two hangars at Bankstown Airport, in the city’s west, before crashing onto the runway and screeching to a halt on the grass about 150 meters later (pictured)
“It was floating, there was no power,” a shocked Mr Swanepoel, who has been flying for almost 30 years, told 9News.
“We cut down the trees and just got over the hangar.”
Remarkably, Mr Swanepoel and his partner Karin emerged from the damaged aircraft unscathed.
Karin said they didn’t think they would make it to the runway.
“It was very, very close,” Karin said.
“It was scary and nerve-wracking because you thought about all the houses that you could potentially… you know, if you don’t make it to the runway.”
NSW Ambulance said there were no injuries.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
The pilot (right) walked away uninjured and there was no impact on airport operations
It is understood the aircraft landed on the taxiway and the airport runway was not affected.
In 2008, two people died on board a light aircraft after the plane they were flying collided in mid-air with another light aircraft before crashing into a house near Bankstown Airport.
There was no one in the home at the time, while the other plane landed safely.