Reports of minor light-plane crash in Fiordland

Friday, 4 August 2017

The occupants of a light aircraft walked away unharmed after the plane was blown off a runway at Martins Bay in Fiordland.

A Maritime New Zealand spokesman said the Rescue Coordination Centre was alerted to the crash at 2.15pm on Friday after a beacon was activated.

A helicopter was dispatched from Milford Sound to respond to the beacon and found those on board the aircraft were unharmed, the spokesman said.

The recreational aircraft had attempted to land but had been caught by a strong wind and ran off the runway into a ditch, the spokesman said.

There was some minor damage to the wing tip and the propeller was damaged.

The owner of the aircraft had loaned it to a friend, the spokesman said.