VH-YOT
1979 Cessna U 206 G
Light plane crashes at Newman but pilot walks away unscathed - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
(Includes a photo)
A pilot has escaped injury after crashing his plane near the Pilbara town of Newman this morning.
The single-engine Cessna 206 left Newman Airport just before 6:00 am and made a forced landing shortly afterwards in scrub land 2.5 kilometres north-east of the airport.
Police say the aircraft sustained damage to the wings and cockpit.
The 37-year old pilot blamed the crash on an engine failure.
He was taken to Newman Hospital for a check up.
Sergeant Mark Garner says the pilot is a Newman local and has been flying planes since 2008.
He says the situation could have been worse.
"I think it was his skill and the fact that he's obviously managed to keep it straight as he's come in," he said.
"From the photos I've seen, he landed close to a medium-sized tree which I'm sure would have done some damage.
"We've notified the Air Transport Safety Bureau."
Sergeant Garner says the news of the crash hit home for Newman police who lost four colleagues in a plane crash in 2001.
It was the largest loss of life for police officers in one incident.
"So, yeah anything like that at the airport touches close to home, especially to some people that were working here at the time," he said.