2:20 PM By CATHERINE MASTERS
A light aeroplane with engine trouble had a
fairly soft forced landing in mudflats before tipping
upside down at Ngataringa Bay near Devonport on Auckland's North Shore early on Saturday afternoon.
Pilot Tony Winsper said the Wilga, a Polish built aircraft, coughed and spluttered in the air while towing a banner on a commercial job.
He feared he may have to land in the sea as
beaches such as Takapuna were "chocka" with people and he was grateful the plane managed to limp around
the corner to the mudflats and that the tide was out.
He and passenger Frank Koenders, also a pilot, had a safe landing and were uninjured.
Dozens of locals, who were "absolutely fantastic," were quickly on the scene and helped pull the plane out of the mud with ropes.
Mr Winsper, speaking soon after the incident, said he felt calm but might feel a bit shaky later on.
Both pilots have had countless hours of training for emergencies and simply followed procedure.
"If you panic you're in trouble, so you just follow
procedure."
Eyewitness Jack Scott, who lives in an apartment block some distance away in Stanley Bay, said he saw the plane heading straight for the mud and feared the worst.
"It just seemed to drop out of the sky..."
Light plane crashes in North Shore mudflat
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