‘To think we got out of that alive’
He is nursing a broken back after a plane crash, but nothing will stop Wayne Cunningham from reaching for the sky again.
‘‘I’m just thankful I’m here to talk about it,’’ the 46-year-old Mosgiel man said.
On July 25 the certified pilot had been flying his Kitfox plane alongside experienced instructor Ray Bremer on a cross-country trip from the Otago Aero Club to Balclutha. ‘‘It was such a beautiful day.’’ It almost turned to tragedy though when the pair left Balclutha airport for their next stop, Mandeville, near Gore.
The pair took off after doing their usual pre-flight checks, but as the Kitfox climbed to 300 feet (91.5 metres) ‘‘suddenly I felt the engine died and we lost all momentum’’.
Bremer, who was seated on Cunningham’s right, took over the control for an emergency landing that all pilots prepare themselves for.
Cunningham said the pair had three options: land in the swift flowing Clutha River, land by a stopbank, or try their luck in a nearby paddock which ‘‘was our only choice to survive’’.
Bremer glided the plane towards the paddock and ‘‘it just happened so quickly’’.
‘‘When we come down I saw the ground come up towards us.’’
The force of the impact forced a wheel to be driven up through Cunningham’s fibreglass causing his back to break.
Both pilots made their way from the wreckage, Bremer walking on a smashed ankle to call emergency services, while Cunningham crawled some 20 metres with his broken back while fuel dripped from the wreckage
‘‘I knew I could feel my toes and fingers and could move my legs, so I knew my injury was serious but not life threatening.’’
The pair were both in a state of shock and were helped to get further away from the aircraft by a local farmer.
‘‘I remember looking over at my little plane . . . made me feel quite emotional.
‘‘To think we got out of that alive.’’
seat
Within minutes fire, ambulance and police had arrived, with the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter also called to the scene.