Plane crash: Woman receives further treatment

Alan and Anne Warner of Waitara, Taranaki. Photo / Facebook

A woman who narrowly escaped from a light plane crash is being transferred to Christchurch Hospital for further treatment.

Anne Warner, 55, and her husband Alan Warner, 58, walked away from their downed Zenith Zodiac CH 601-XL aircraft which went down in bad weather into dense bush near Whangamomona, Taranaki, on Sunday night.

They were found near the upturned wreckage of the plane late on Monday morning.
Mr Warner suffered moderate back injuries, and was discharged from Taranaki Base Hospital on Monday night. Mrs Warner remained in the hospital's care with chest and back injuries.

Their eldest son Adam said Mrs Warner would be moved to Christchurch Hospital today.

"Mum remains in a stable condition and is comfortable, but requires further treatment for her injuries down in Christchurch," he said in a statement issued by Taranaki Base Hospital this afternoon.

The family "really appreciate everyone's support", he said.

The couple, from Waitara, northeast of New Plymouth, were reported missing after the single engine plane failed to reach Stratford Aerodrome, after taking off from Whitianga on Sunday afternoon.

A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched, including a fixed-wing aircraft and a Royal New Zealand Air Force helicopter, which scoured an area around the couple's last known location.

However, poor weather and poor visibility hampered the search, and it resumed the next morning. The pair were found by the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter around 11am, after spending a cold night in dense bush.

On Monday afternoon, Adam Warner told media his father had managed to put the small aircraft down in thick bush after hitting bad weather on Sunday evening.

He said he was relieved but somehow unsurprised his parents survived largely intact. They were "a bit shook up" by the incident, however.