A man has walked away from a plane accident virtually unscathed this week after the crop duster he was operating crashed into rough terrain at Berthong.
The pilot – working for Col Adams Aerial Services – was spreading fertiliser at the property 20km from Young on the Berthong Road when the incident occurred.
Local emergency services were notified of the accident at 1.50pm on Monday, with police and Fire and Rescue NSW attending the scene.
Emergency services were forced to walk to the location due to the rough terrain, and on arrival found the aircraft well alight on the side of a hill.
It was such a miracle that he survived the incident and walked away from it without any injuries.
- Stephen Pollard
As a result Fire and Rescue NSW placed a 500 metre exclusion zone around the area.
The operator of the Gippsland GA200 aircraft – a 45-year-old male from Tallangatta – was assessed for injuries, but miraculously only received minor cuts and abrasions.
He wasn’t transported to hospital.
NSW Ambulance Inspector, Stephen Pollard, said he was in disbelief the man emerged with only minor injuries.
“It was such a miracle that he survived the incident and walked away from it without any injuries,” he said.
While the cause of the accident is still being investigated, Cootamundra Local Area Command Crime Manager, Matt Packham, said it is believed the plane may have clipped a tree.
The aircraft was completely destroyed.
