Light aircraft making emergency landing at Ardmore Airport

A "warbird" plane has landed safely at Ardmore Airport after spending more than an hour flying in circles to burn fuel.

The plane landed just before 2.45pm.

The pilot had to land the plane on its belly because its landing gear failed.

The aircraft's owner, Brian Hall, told Newshub the malfunction was "unexpected".

"Very, very disappointing, but the main thing is the pilot got out safely," he said.

One person is believed to have been on the plane.

It was a single engine Trojan T28 and it was in a holding pattern trying to use up fuel before landing.

Reports indicated seven fire trucks from multiple stations were on route to the scene.

The landed plane could be seen from Airfield Rd, where several emergency services gathered around it.