Investigators are still looking into how a regular flying lesson turned tragic after a gyrocopter crashed in New South Wales, killing one man and badly injuring another.
Veteran pilot Phil Wright, 70, gave trainee pilot Tom Zwanink a ride in his gyrocopter yesterday.
But after an afternoon of flying, the two ran into difficulty when the rotorcraft hit a tree 35 kilometers north of Raymond Terrace, north of Newcastle.
At around 4.30 pm, when the plane crashed, Allworth received a call from emergency services.
Wright, a veteran pilot with more than 30 years of experience, was discovered dead inside the plane.
Zwanink was discovered outside the plane with severe injuries to his face, legs, and chest.
He was flown by air ambulance to John Hunter Hospital.
Jake Broughton-Rouse, an inspector and intensive care paramedic, described the rescue effort as “incredibly difficult.”
“The crash happened in an isolated location and it took a significant amount of time and cooperation with other agencies to locate and provide assistance to the pilot and passenger,” he told the media shortly after the tragedy.
“Unfortunately, we found a male inside the airplane who had passed away, as well as a second male outside the aircraft.
“It was a difficult extraction, and we removed him from the scene via a four-wheel drive.”
A gyrocopter resembles a little helicopter, but its primary rotor is not powered by an engine.
According to police, there were only two passengers on board.
Over the previous few weeks, their lessons had taken place primarily at the adjacent Remlap Park Airport.
There is a crime scene, and an investigation is under progress.
