Plane lands in paddock after engine trouble

A scenic flight from Rotorua to Mt Ruapehu was forced to make an emergency landing today because of engine trouble.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) communications manager Bill Sommer said the aircraft, with seven people on board, was brought down in a paddock in Guthrie, 19km southwest of Rotorua, about 10am.

"They had problems with the engine running rough. They couldn't get it to run properly so they shut the engine down and did a precautionary landing into the paddock."

Two CAA safety investigators would be examining the plane this afternoon to determine the cause of the problem, Mr Sommer said.

- NZPA