Experienced pilot killed in ultralight plane crash

AN EXPERIENCED pilot has died in an ultralight plane crash at North Laidley on Wednesday evening.

The 84-year-old man from north Brisbane left Laidley air strip and crashed in a paddock on Old Laidley-Forest Hill Rd.

Witnesses from houses around the paddock saw the plane crash and called emergency services but the man was already dead when they arrived.

The man was the sole occupant of the plane.

Acting Inspector Regan Draheim said the light plane was home-made.

“It appears to have crashed suddenly, there is no indications of engine failure at the moment, as a result an 84year-old male is deceased,” he said.

One bystander, who rushed to the scene to try to save the elderly man, said his son pointed out the falling aircraft as it was coming down.

“Everything seemed to be normal, like after thinking about it now, the engine was normal, there were normal sounds, there was nothing different about it,” he said.

“Didn’t really hear too much of a noise or anything (on impact), it was pretty windy here yesterday, I didn’t really hear much at all.

“He wasn’t overly high when it happened. At a guess I’d say 100m or so in the air.

“It all would have happened within 15 seconds.”

Multiple agencies, including Recreational Aviation Australia, are now investigating the crash.