The three male occupants of a four-seater Maule aircraft, travelling from North Auckland to Whangarei today, walked away unfazed and unscathed after a cross-wind landing incident caused the plane to skid along the runway. Photo / NZME
The three male occupants of a four-seater Maule aircraft, travelling from North Auckland to Whangarei today, walked away unfazed and unscathed after a cross-wind landing incident caused the plane to skid along the runway. Photo / NZME
A small plane had a dramatic touchdown at Whangārei Airport this morning after its landing gear collapsed on one side, sending the aircraft skidding along the runway.
Airport assistant manager Mike Chubb said the incident involving a privately owned four-seater Maule that had flown from North Auckland was essentially a“cross-wind landing gone wrong”.
The four-seater Maule plane was towed to an airport hangar after its scrape along the runway at Whangārei this morning. Photo / NZME
It happened about 10.30am with the plane coming to rest almost directly outside the main terminal building. Two Fire and Emergency New Zealand trucks attended, along with the airport’s emergency services crew.
Chubb said the three men on board the plane all walked away unscathed and unfazed. However, their aircraft lost a bit of paint on the runway, which airport emergency staff had to hose away before the next scheduled incoming flight.
Whangārei Airport emergency staff hose paint off the runway after a small plane's skid landing on Friday morning. Photo / NZME
The rough landing was just before an outgoing flight, for which a large crowd had begun to arrive for check-in. While most said they didn’t see the landing itself, they soon heard about the incident and saw the gathering of emergency staff and vehicles on the runway.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it was aware of the incident, that the aircraft had been moved, and that normal airport operations had since resumed.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.
