A Defence Force aerobatic plane that flipped while making a forced landing on the Desert Road this afternoon sustained moderate damage.
The Air Trainer, Red Checkers 1, was flying from Ohakea Air Base in Manawatu to Tauranga for the Tauranga Air Show when it suffered mechanical problems.
The pilot decided to make a forced landing onto "undulating ground" about 12km south of Rangipo at 4.20pm, said a New Zealand Defence Force spokesman.
As it touched down the plane overturned and sustained "moderate damage. The pilot walked away uninjured. The remaining Air Trainers, which were also enroute, all landed safely."
The landing site has been secured and the Air Force has begun an investigation into the incident.
