Two men are in a critical condition and "pretty banged up" after their plane collided with the side of a mountain in the Ruahine Ranges near Palmerston North this afternoon.
Square Trust Rescue Helicopter pilot Fergus MacLachlan said he was first called in at about 1pm after a beacon
signal was picked up, which "usually turns out to be nothing".
But within five minutes, Mr McLachlan's crew spotted a light aircraft wedged between two trees on the side of a hill in rugged terrain.
"The two trees were the only thing that was holding them there," he said.
"When we first got there we saw one person waving. Once we saw that person waving, we knew at least one person was alive. Prior to that, we weren't so sure."
As a pilot, Mr McLachlan said it was always a relief to see a survivor "because it could be you one day".
Mr McLachlan decided to drop two crew members into a dry stream bed nearby because of the rugged terrain and likelihood of there being spilled fuel nearby.
He said the paramedic and other crew member had a 20-minute walk through scrub that was chest high.
Mr McLachlan said his helicopter winched one of the injured plane crew aboard and took him to hospital before calling for a second rescue helicopter.
Asked about the men's conditions, Mr McLachlan said they were "pretty banged up, with broken bones at least".
He said both men would have multiple fractures and were in a critical condition.
The two-seater Piper Tomahawk - a low-winged aircraft typically used for training - had been on a commercial pilot's licence training flight from Hastings Airport when it crashed in "very steep terrain".
It had been due to return to Hastings Airport about 12.30pm and was reported overdue about 12.45pm.
Rescue Coordination Centre search and rescue officer Chris Wilson said it appeared the plane had made a forced landing after encountering difficulties.
"The aircraft is relatively intact and it is belly-down, so in the correct position," she told Radio New Zealand.
"The rescue helicopter pilot said that the pilot of the light aircraft did a great job in getting the aircraft down so well in such steep country."
A 5km no-fly zone has been established around the crash site.
Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman Emma Peel said a team led by experienced investigator Steve Walker would begin its investigation tomorrow morning.
It would be some time before a final report was released.
"Hopefully we'll have some initial preliminary thoughts on what could have happened tomorrow," Ms Peel told NZPA.
"They've got to get onto the scene and start looking at the terrain, and the position of aircraft in relation to the terrain, and whether there's skid marks on the snow.
"If it snows overnight then obviously that will effect that, so there's all sorts of variables that they'll have to consider."
- with NZPA
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