A glider pilot had "only just" enough height to circle the airfield and land safely after the plane towing them crashed on take-off, Feilding Aerodrome president Bruce Brownlie said.
The pilot of a Piper Pawnee plane was critically injured when the plane crashed into trees across the road from the airport - roughly 20m from the aerodrome - and has been flown by rescue helicopter to hospital, Brownlie said.
Police confirmed the pilot is understood to be seriously injured.
![Wreckage from the crash site. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/YMB43EHHTVWPESTLPTB2RHTDSU.jpg?auth=72a0b9e42e67554206de978d19d65a9c736a5b60a63389f1114e3f6e2480b5b8&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
Brownlie understood the pilot - like the glider pilot - was a longtime and experienced member of the Wanganui-Manawatu Gliding Club. He understood the Piper pilot had suffered head injuries.