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Horrifying moment when a plane breaks off one of its wings and crashes into a parked car – and the first thing the pilot did after escaping unscathed
- The plane crashed into a parked car at Bankstown Trotting Recreational Club
- Light aircraft took off from Bankstown Airport before losing power mid-flight
- The pilot, 28, managed to walk away from the crash unscathed but was in shock
A lucky pilot has escaped unscathed after his light aircraft crashed into a car at a leisure club shortly after takeoff.
The pilot, 28, left Bankstown Airport just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday and crash-landed in the Bankstown Trotting Recreational Club parking lot.
The plane lost power and began to whiz toward the ground about four minutes after takeoff.
Recreation club footage captured the moment the plane skidded across the tarmac of the trotting track at Bankstown City Paceway and crashed into the back of a parked black Mazda.
A light aircraft crashed into a parked Mazda at Bankstown Trotting Recreational Club after losing power mid-flight
Club Condell Park’s Sharon said she was alerted to the crash by a customer and was met by the shocked pilot who had just climbed off the plane.
“I went out and by then the pilot was walking up to the club and he saw me and he just dropped to his knees,” she told Nine News.
He stood up and the first thing he said was, “Can I give you a hug?” and I said, “Of course” and he hugged me for a few seconds.’
“He was just shaking like you wouldn’t believe it.”
The pilot told Sharon that the plane came to a stop at 300 feet as it began to lose power.
Steve Thurlow, Bankstown Paceway’s operations manager, said he saw the crashed plane while locking the rail gate at the horse track.
“I came up and looked across and saw that (the plane) and thought, ‘What’s going on here?’ and I’ll be right there,” he told 7 News.
The pilot told both Susan and Mr. Thurlow that he was was expecting a child with his girlfriend and it was the first thing on his mind after the plane crashed.
The 28-year-old pilot, who was unharmed, took off from Bankstown Airport around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. His plane had stalled about four minutes into the flight
Five people were evacuated from the parking lot after the crash as firefighters rushed to the scene to fix a minor fuel leak.
The plane was towed away from the parking lot after the leak was plugged.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is gathering information and deciding whether to conduct a full-scale investigation into the crash.
Sydney Aviators, the aircraft’s owner, declined to comment on the matter.