Crash survivors on road to recovery

CAA investigators have ruled out engine failure as the cause of Monday's crash. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The flying instructor who survived an air crash has undergone surgery for bleeding to his brain but doctors hope to bring him out of a coma this morning.

The Civil Aviation Authority yesterday ruled out engine failure as the cause of Monday's crash in the Ruahine Ranges, north of Palmerston North, which left instructor Gary Skedgwell, 30, and trainee Sam Metzger, 18, seriously injured.

The pair, of the Air Hawkes Bay flying school, had left Hastings Aerodrome about 9.30am in the two-seater Piper Tomahawk on a three-hour cross country training flight and were reported overdue when they failed to arrive back at 12.30pm.

Chief executive Kevin England said he was unable to see the pair in hospital yesterday as they were in surgery but had received updates from their families and believed they were on "the road to recovery".

Mr Skedgwell, who is in Wellington Hospital, had surgery yesterday morning on his fractured scull and bleeding to his brain. In the afternoon he underwent leg surgery. Doctors hoped to take him out of an induced coma today.

Mr Metzger, who is in Palmerston North Hospital, had an operation on his pelvis on Monday and surgery on his fibia yesterday.

Mr England said the instructor had worked for the company for four years and had about 2000 flying hours under his belt.

One of his roles at the flying school was to look after the international students.

"We've just been flooded with emails today from people from overseas who've heard Gary's been in an accident. There has been so much support."

The trainee pilot joined the academy in February and was three quarters of the way through training for his commercial pilot's licence. He was due to sit his final test next month.

Mr England said he was "puzzled" as to why the crash occurred.

"We don't know what's behind it, we're just as anxious as anyone to pinpoint what the problem was, we'll just wait till the CAA comes through."

He said it was a miracle the pair had survived the crash.

"They are extremely fortunate ... knowing the pilots involved I believe they would have been able to lessen the impact in the way they landed."

Staff and students had been given an update on their peers yesterday morning, Mr England said.

CAA investigators have ruled out engine failure as the cause of the crash but are yet to determine what it was.

The investigation could take months.