A pilot and three passengers walked away from this Cessna 206 yesterday after it ran off an airstrip, smashed though a fence and hit a tree stump near Taupo.
A stock agent, a prospective buyer, the pilot and his daughter aboard the privately owned aircraft from Palmerston North were shaken but unhurt.
The plane was travelling from Dannevirke to Moerangi Station and a gust of wind upset the landing on the farm airstrip, said Senior Sergeant Denis Murphy of Turangi police.
The plane overshot the strip, ploughed through the fence and struck the tree stump, spinning 180 degrees.
An on-board warning device was activated and picked up by other planes in the area.
The Wellington-based Rescue Co-ordination Centre started a search and the Lion Foundation rescue helicopter from Taupo found the aircraft 40 minutes later.
- NZPA
Four survive plane crash
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