Slow road to recovery for flying instructor

Gary Skedgwell. Photo / Supplied

The flying instructor badly injured in Monday's plane crash near Palmerston North has shown promising signs of being able to move his limbs in response to commands, before being put back into a coma, his partner and family say.

Gary Skedgwell, 30, was on a commercial pilot's licence training flight from Hastings Airport with trainee Sam Metzger, 18, when the two-seater Air Hawke's Bay Piper Tomahawk crashed in the Ruahine Ranges, north of Palmerston North.

Both men were initially taken to Palmerston North Hospital, but Mr Skedgwell was transferred to Wellington after his condition worsened.

Mr Metzger, who suffered serious chest and leg injuries in the crash, is in a stable condition in Palmerston North Hospital.

Mr Skedgwell's family and his partner Mary-Ellen, in a statement, said it had been a very difficult time but they were thankful for support from friends and family.

"This was a terrible accident and we are now concentrating on Gary getting better. We want to send our thoughts to Sam and his parents and hope he is also improving," they said.

Mr Skedgwell has had surgery to remove a blood clot and relieve pressure on his brain, which has included removing a section of his skull which will be put back once the swelling comes down.

He has also had pins put in the top and bottom of his leg, which was badly broken. His other injuries include broken ribs, which should heal on their own, and a broken back that his surgeons plan to operate on in the next couple of days.

"Despite all this, Gary is doing okay. He is a fighter and we saw that last night when his doctors slowly woke him up from his induced coma. He was able to respond to commands, such as moving his limbs, which is a promising sign. He has since been put back to sleep and remains on a ventilator to help him breathe," his family said.

"While there is a long way to go and we're not out of the woods yet, we are remaining hopeful and the signs are good so far."

Mary-Ellen and the family thanked the rescue crew, Palmerston North Hospital and the "fantastic" team at the Wellington Hospital intensive care unit.

There was a long road ahead and they requested privacy to concentrate on Mr Skedgwell's recovery.

The Civil Aviation Authority has ruled out engine failure as a cause of the crash and said its investigation was continuing.

The aircraft has been taken by helicopter to Palmerston North where it will be assessed by insurance investigators before being returned to Hawke's Bay.

- NZPA