Five people have been rescued from Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in South Australia's far north after a light plane made an emergency landing and a rescue helicopter then became bogged.
The light plane made an emergency landing on the lake about 5:30pm (ACDT) on Tuesday and a rescue helicopter was then sent to retrieve its occupants.
But the chopper suffered mechanical problems on the site and became bogged in the lake.
A second chopper was then sent from Moomba to collect everyone about 9:00pm and they were taken to nearby William Creek.
No-one was injured.
Local outback pilot Trevor Wright flies regularly in the area and said the lake is drying out at the moment.
"There's a lot of the lake that is just very soft and incredibly muddy and very, very sticky," he said.
He said removing aircraft from the lake would take a lot of work.
"From what I've seen in the past, they've had to dismantle them and use a helicopter to fly it out piecemeal to the shoreline," Mr Wright said.
A second pilot told the ABC that a number of planes had been marooned in the lake over the years.
He said the engines and valuable components were typically removed and the structure abandoned to the elements.
Mr Wright said it was by luck that there were no communication problems because search and rescue missions in the area were often hindered by failing satellite systems.
"When something does happen it is imperative that we have a situation that is reliable," he said.
"When we have major trauma and heart attacks and search and rescues, that's a time when you really need it and you don't need a breakdown in the system."
