Olympics: Equestrian site turns into runway

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

A Second World War plane - not a horse or rider - was the first to fall at the Olympic equestrian site in the outer Sydney suburb of Blacktown.

A replica of a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 crash-landed next to the dressage arena at Horsley Park.

The pilot and co-pilot were not hurt and the grass barely damaged.

Olympic riders were well away from the crash site, training in a quarantine zone.

Equestrian venue manager Lucia Montarella said he had informed the nearby Bankstown Airport that pilots should avoid the park in future.

"Our nice patch of green grass is not available because our competition starts on September 16," he said.

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