Pilot survives plane crash by 'miracle'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Paramedics said it was a “miracle” the pilot walked from the wreckage, in the ditch at the edge of a paddock, with only a sore back. (NSW Ambulance Service)
A pilot who survived a light plane crash and walked away from the wreckage with only minor injuries in Sydney this morning has been described as a “miracle”.
Video footage of the moments that followed the woman’s escape shows her walking quickly to a car before climbing into the passenger seat while holding what appears to be a coffee container.
The woman then engages in conversation with a man before she takes a swig of her drink and ducks down, seemingly to avoid cameras, and the car drives away.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It came just moments after a light plane — piloted by the woman in her 50s with no passengers — plunged more than 300 metres (984 feet) to nosedive into trees at Bankstown Airport in Sydney’s southwest about 11:20 am Monday.
“I’m losing it,” the woman screamed into the plane radio before the moment of impact.
Paramedics said it was a “miracle” the pilot walked from the wreckage, in the ditch at the edge of a paddock, with only a sore back. She was assisted by airport staff after being assessed by ambulance workers who determined she didn’t need to go to hospital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NSW Ambulance Inspector Andrew Keshwan said his team had “expected the worst” but were relieved to find the woman was uninjured.
“This is a very happy and lucky outcome for the pilot,” Keshwan said in a statement on Monday afternoon. “It is a miracle she has walked away from the wreckage without any injuries.”
An Australian Transport and Safety Bureau spokesperson said the organization will decide on Tuesday whether to investigate the crash.
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