A 27-year-old man was “extremely lucky” to walk away unhurt, after nose diving a light plane to the ground around 2.30pm on Monday, in Cootamundra.
The local pilot was crop dusting just 20km away from the airport when its right wing clipped power lines.
The red and white striped Cessna Husky plane then entangled the lines, dragging down trees and plunging into the paddocks on Lismore Road.
Around 15 minutes after the crash, respective emergency services arrived and were greeted with the plane split into pieces.
According to Fire and Rescue NSW Cootamundra captain Les Carr, when paramedics first arrived at the scene, the man was seen walking around, indicating good signs he was not injured in any significant way.
The man did however, sustain minor cuts and bruises, and after a light on-scene check-up, he was taken to Cootamundra Hospital for further examination.
A resident that lives not far from the crash on Dirnaseer Road, said it was common to see crop dusting in the area each day.
Earlier that morning, she was out filming for Facebook on a different plane, which flew just above the tree tops.
When speaking to The Times, the lady resident said crop dusting pilots require “real nerves of steel to do what they do”, that she was glad the man walked away unhurt.
The HAZMAT team from Wagga Wagga spent almost three hours applying absorbent material to clean up 100 litres of fuel which had leaked out of the plane’s tank.
According to Fire and Rescue NSW, the extent of the damage included, power lines, minor damage to wheat crops, as well as major damage to the aircraft.
The Australian Transport Safety later investigated the crash and the cordoned area was marked safe and handed back to the owners of the property after 5.30pm.
Firefighters returned to the site the next day to remove and clear the rest of the aircraft damage.
Christopher Tan