One Dead in Northland plane crash
 

From NZ Herald: New Zealand's Latest News, Business, Sport, Weather, Travel, Technology, Entertainment, Politics, Finance, Health, Environment and Science :

An aircraft pilot is dead after his plane apparently hit an occupied car in Northland this afternoon.

The crash happened about 3.55pm at One Tree Point, 6km northwest of Marsden Point and 38km southeast of Whangarei.

Ambulance northern communications team manager Ngaire Jones said one person died in the crash and three others were injured.

"The information we have is that the plane hit a car, and the three with moderate injuries were in the car," Ms Jones told NZPA.

Fire Service northern communications centre shift manager Megan Ruru said initial indications were that it was a light aircraft but that had not been confirmed.

The plane was totally ablaze and it had set off a scrub fire in the area which firefighters were trying to extinguish.

- NZPA

I see they have released the name - is he related to the family that creates canal lifestyle living at various beach resorts?

yeah I have heard he is the son of the guy who runs Hopper developments. my condolences go to his family at this time.

Things that make you go Hmmmm.

Not to sound rude or anything, but What in the hell was he doing, flying the plane so close to the ground in the first place ????

How can a a flying aircraft get so low to clip vehicles? Come on, I'm sorry for raising the question but it seems daft. Read both reports and it says that the crash happened "...near a private airstrip".

What was he doing so low to cause an injury. Seems to me that the pilot got a lil too "macho" for the plane and bit him in the ass

The Herald article says it was just after takeoff. Kind of hard to avoid being low at that point...

I'm sure the CAA report will have more details, but before anybody slams the guy, remember we don't know what happened and the press are notoriously bad at getting details right for this kind of thing. For example maybe he had an EFATO and lost control? If the only witnesses were in a moving car they may not have heard the engine noise stop.

Full marks to both news sites for not calling the plane a Cessna though.

Yes, many questions I am sure....

Where was the vehicle ? on a road, the side of the strip, on the strip, moving or stationary.....

We have had similar before, - it will happen again.

Aircraft will always suffer from technical issues and of course we always have the wind.

But as I asked previously, Why was the aircraft in such close proximity to a) the ground) and b) the vehicle? If there were mechanical issues, why couldn't the pilot have done a PFL (if it was an ongoing problem) or a Forced landing, and put it somewhere AWAY from houses/trees/people/cars/honeybadgers?

Just a few things really don't make any sense in this situation

Thankyou for clarification.

Still... Van on the field? on the active ?

very sad to hear about the loss but yea why was the van parked too close to the air strip and why was he flying so close to the ground.

feel free to correct me if i am wrong.

Guys, just leave it alone for the time being, you are letting your imaginations lead you. It could have been many many different scenarios, some sinister, some pure fluke.

j3, True as it may seem that the imagination is guiding us, but the questions posed, from the information given, would be asked by NZ's governing body. It'd be nice to see what light could be shed on the situation.

It is sad to hear that he has died but what can we as professional pilots learn from what has happened. I for one do not drop below 500 ft AGL, unless i am on a stable approach going in for a landing / touch and go / low pass / the sort. Simple as that.

pilot2684 - pull your head in. The accident happened yesterday FFS! Of course he was in close proximity to the ground, he crashed. Maybe the vehicle was parked on/near the strip... Maybe you should wait till some facts come out or even better wait till the accident report is released.

What was he doing so low to cause an injury. Seems to me that the pilot got a lil too "macho" for the plane and bit him in the ass

Seems to me you should rule out a career as an accident investigator :ugh:

Pilot2684, are you really 25?

Steve, I'm not stating this to be rude, as stated in the first post, but one has to question the pilots motives for A) Flying a plane that could have had "mechanical troubles", B) Taken off on a non clear runway or C) Flown so low that he clipped a Van. Until you see it from the other side, don't be telling people to "pull your head in"

J3 Yes I am

pilot2684
Surely you don't expect a sensible response to such stupid questions?dick head, maybe he wasn't aware of the "mechanical problems, or maybe it didn't even have any. Maybe they only just developed, (failure).
Who said the runway wasn't clear?
Every time I take off I fly low, with the aim of getting higher. Dick head.Pull your head in!

Surely you don't expect the facts to be available on PPRUNE? jeeeez, theres a town over there in NZ thats missing one of its idiots I think.

Perhaps old enough to remember the DC3 at Lokichokio, or the Turboprop Caribou. That I can recall.
Many reasons for an aircraft loosing control on takeoff.

I think this will end up being a Swiss cheese model again somehow. As the wiser ones are saying,- time will tell...

RENURPP. One, I aint Kiwi and Two I stated things not to sound rude. I only asked things that ANY normal sane pilot would have asked themselves. I'm sorry that you continue to act like an all omnipotent and all knowing aviation god. Maybe you sir should come back down to earth

He hit the van ???? What's there to say that the runway wasn't clear?

As others have said time will tell. And I did in actual fact say "Thankyou for clarification"