KEY POINTS:
The Civil Aviation Authority is investigating this morning's air crash in which the pilot jumped clear just before his plane burst into flames.
Constable Jason Kahika said the top dressing pilot had a lucky escape when he lost power on take off at a Te Uku farm, east of Raglan, about 6.30am.
"The pilot has been taking off down a slopping hill with his aircraft loaded with lime when he's suffered a power loss."
Mr Kahika said the pilot was faced with dumping his load and trying to continue to fly with what little power he had, or aborting the take off.
He ended up steering into a fence to try to slow down.
Initial indications were that as the aircraft made contact with the fence a fuel line was ruptured by a strainer post. When leaking fuel contacted the engine the plane caught fire.
It had about 400 litres of aviation fuel aboard at the time.
"The fire has engulfed the plane but the pilot managed to get out in time.
"In fact he was uninjured until he scratched himself pulling the pin out of one of two extinguishers he used to try and douse the flames," Mr Kahika said.
Raglan chief fire officer Kevin Holmes said the man was "extremely lucky" to be alive.
"It's every pilot's worst nightmare, to be flying a plane and have something mechanically go wrong, but fortunately he was still on the ground," Mr Holmes said.
He said he knew the man personally and that he was an experienced pilot.
"He pretty much put the plane through the fence to stop it," Mr Holmes said.
But by the time the plane burst into flames, the pilot was well clear of the scene.
Six fire appliances attended the blaze and used foam to douse the flames.
- NZPA / NZHERALD STAFF
- NZPA
