Plane crashes on city highway in Tasmania

Shocked motorists watched in horror as a pilot crash-landed his small plane on a busy Hobart highway on Sunday morning.

The pilot was unhurt, and ran immediately from the plane and stopped traffic.

News Limited reported that the pilot was 18-year-old Patrick Humphrey, a trainee pilot with the Australian Airforce who was practising aerobatics when his plane's engine stalled, forcing him down on one of the state's busiest highways shortly after 10am.

The plane crashed into an embankment on the Brooker Highway.

Witness Kos Karydis told AAP he thought the plane was performing in an Easter holiday display.

"I saw the aircraft in the sky, and I thought it was part of some sort of Easter exhibition," he said.

"Then it was getting lower and I thought this isn't right. I thought it might crash into Mt Wellington."

Mr Karydis said the plane had already crashed when he arrived at the scene, and he saw the driver get out and run.

Brad Almond, a witness who was at the scene soon after the plane came down, told ABC radio that debris was spread over 100 metres from the plane.

"It must have been incredibly lucky to get a gap in the traffic," he said.

"I did see a couple of motor vehicles close by straight away after the accident. So I'm imagining it came very close to actually hitting a car."

The highway was closed to traffic re-opened after two hours.

A crane helped remove the plane and wreckage with emergency services and Australia Transport Safety Bureau investigators attending.

- AAP