av8trflying
19th Nov 2010, 03:11
A LOCAL man was in a critical condition in Cairns Base Hospital last night after suffering serious injuries when his light plane crashed into thick rainforest near Innisfail.
A four-seat Cessna 172 crashed about 20km southwest of Mt Coleridge about 3pm yesterday.
A 59-year-old Cairns man is still in the Cairns Base Hospital in a critical condition.
A second man, a 25-year-old from Innisfail was released from Innisfail Hospital at 8pm the night of the incident.
The cause of the crash is not known and investigators will return to the crash site this morning to examine the
wreckage.
Mayday calls yesterday alerted other planes to problems with the aircraft.
An emergency beacon was activated before the plane went down, which led an Emergency Management Queensland rescue helicopter crew to the vicinity of the crash.
After searching the thick forest for 20 minutes, rescuers noticed smoke from a flare that led them to the site.
A five-person rescue team, including two paramedics descended into the rainforest where they found the two men - neither was trapped in the plane.
EMQ Cairns helicopter pilot Pat Davitt said the crash site was in rugged terrain and the team had to make separate trips to get both men.
"It was very hilly, dense forest - if it wasn't for that smoke signal I don't think we would have found them so quickly.
"The man that let the signal off really participated in his own rescue.
"In the end, we had to make two trips, one to drop the man with minor injuries off and to refuel - before we could go back for the second man who was gravely hurt."
Mr Davitt said the plane was badly damaged.
The Cairns Post today reported the name of the man in critical condition after the crash as Bob Harris.
Mr Harris was not in the plane.
The names of the two men involved have not yet been released.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this stage and investigations are underway.
A four-seat Cessna 172 crashed about 20km southwest of Mt Coleridge about 3pm yesterday.
A 59-year-old Cairns man is still in the Cairns Base Hospital in a critical condition.
A second man, a 25-year-old from Innisfail was released from Innisfail Hospital at 8pm the night of the incident.
The cause of the crash is not known and investigators will return to the crash site this morning to examine the
wreckage.
Mayday calls yesterday alerted other planes to problems with the aircraft.
An emergency beacon was activated before the plane went down, which led an Emergency Management Queensland rescue helicopter crew to the vicinity of the crash.
After searching the thick forest for 20 minutes, rescuers noticed smoke from a flare that led them to the site.
A five-person rescue team, including two paramedics descended into the rainforest where they found the two men - neither was trapped in the plane.
EMQ Cairns helicopter pilot Pat Davitt said the crash site was in rugged terrain and the team had to make separate trips to get both men.
"It was very hilly, dense forest - if it wasn't for that smoke signal I don't think we would have found them so quickly.
"The man that let the signal off really participated in his own rescue.
"In the end, we had to make two trips, one to drop the man with minor injuries off and to refuel - before we could go back for the second man who was gravely hurt."
Mr Davitt said the plane was badly damaged.
The Cairns Post today reported the name of the man in critical condition after the crash as Bob Harris.
Mr Harris was not in the plane.
The names of the two men involved have not yet been released.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this stage and investigations are underway.