KEY POINTS:
A man who watched a light aircraft crash land on mudflats near Tauranga this morning said the pilot did an "amazing job" to bring the plane down and walk away unscathed.
A plane piloted by Paul Ensor of Island Air Charters crashed into Omokoroa harbour, north-west of Tauranga this morning.
Mr Ensor was not injured.
Mel Donovan was weeding on his son's property when he heard a plane coming in "spluttering and carrying on".
"It came virtually over the house, losing power. At first I thought it was a training exercise -- cutting motors and starting them again -- but then it continued and I realised it was in trouble."
The plane made it over the next ridge and Mr Donovan thought it was going to attempt a landing in the playground of a nearby school.
He then saw it come around a bluff, steeply banking before coming down in the harbour and digging in on one side.
Mr Donovan's wife immediately rang emergency services.
The couple were relieved to look through their telescope and see Mr Ensor get out of the plane.
"I think the pilot did an amazing job, just watching him bring it in like that, that it didn't go tail to nose and flip," Mr Donovan said.
"But he was very lucky, he no doubt saw the power lines not too far ahead of him, he did a great job.
"I was holding my breath for quite a while, I can tell you."
Senior Sergeant Stu Graham of Tauranga police said the matter would be referred to the Civil Aviation Authority
- NZPA
