A student pilot who experienced a plane crash in New South Wales has described how he managed to survive a 500-meter drop.
Jake Elven, 27, was taking his second flying lesson in the southwest of Sydney when the aircraft he was learning to fly in stalled, sending them both heading for the ground.
The teacher and Elven both survived the collision.
Elven drove himself an hour and a half to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after aiding his gravely hurt pilot to the airport and into a car.
From his hospital bed, he told Today, “I stepped in the front door, I lost my shoes, I had blood everywhere, and sticks everywhere.”
When I informed them I had been in a plane accident, they nearly committed me to a mental hospital.
He said that his inability to “find a vehicle spot for ages” delayed his arrival at the hospital.
He claimed that he “couldn’t be bothered” with ending up in a hospital distant from his home and made the decision to drive himself there.
He also provided some insight into the course of the collision, telling Today that he couldn’t believe he was still alive.
“As soon as the prop stops turning, the plane is silent, and you watch those gigantic trees grow pretty quickly,” said ge saud.
“I couldn’t stop thinking, “Wow, this is going to hurt.”
“We hit the first tree, the plane’s back tore off, and I last clearly recall seeing sunlight coming at us from all the wrong angles.
“I distinctly recall clinging on and thinking, ‘Holy crap, we made it!’ after awakening approximately 10 to 15 minutes later.”
The hosts of Today exclaimed in shock, “What? What?”
Even after he awoke, the student pilot recorded himself at the scene of the disaster because he thought it would “make a fantastic tale.”
He claimed that the pilot had been “flying for a long time” without experiencing any problems and that he would board a plane once more because it was a “one in a million” accident.
As awful as it could be, it couldn’t have gone much better, but s—- happens.
We’ll try again, and hopefully I’ll crash even more smoothly this time.
