Second crash landing for flying Blenheim vet

A Blenheim vet was saved from serious injury by the roll cage of his Piper Pawnee light aircraft after a landing accident - his second crash in 11 years.

Peter Anderson had just landed on a hilltop farm strip about 11.30 am on Thursday when a sheep ran into the aircraft's path.

The plane's propeller and undercarriage hit the animal, which was killed.

The aircraft tipped on to its nose before coming to rest upside down on the strip at Ward, about 40km south of Blenheim.

The Pawnee's specially designed support cage stopped the cockpit caving in, but the aircraft's roof and windows, left wingtip, propeller and engine area were extensively damaged.

Mr Anderson walked away with only a sore back.

He spent time in Kaikoura Hospital's intensive care unit after a similar crash at Kekerengu, north-east of Kaikoura, in 1990. Then, his Piper Colt aircraft was upturned by a sudden gust of wind and tossed off a farm strip and into a tennis court.

At the time, Country Calendar was working on a documentary about the popular flying vet.

- NZPA