Lucky escape for Chch men in plane crash

Press, 18 January 1986, Page 1

Lucky escape for Chch men in plane crash

By

JOHN HARFORD

Two Christchurch men had a lucky escape from a light aircraft which burst into flames after it crashed in rugged bush country in the Spenser Mountains yesterday.

David Bowie, aged 23, and Stephen Ackiand, aged 20, walked 24km from the burnt wreckage of the Piper Cherokee 140 in the Ada Pass to the Lewis Pass highway to get help. They were admitted to Reefton Hospital yesterday suffering from burns, cuts and bruising. Mrs Andree Bowie said last evening that it was “nothing short of a miracle” that her son and Mr Ackland had survived the crash. The pair left Christchurch at 9.09 a.m. yesterday on a cross-country navigational training flight to Reefton and return, via the Clarence River valley. They were due back at 12.15 p.m. The flight was part of the training needed for Mr Ackland to gain his commercial pilot’s licence. Mr Bowie was his instructor. The men called the Hokitika flight service at 10.46 a.m. and reported that everything was all right. Nothing more was heard of them until they walked out of the bush in the Lewis Pass. Fully laden with fuel, the Piper Cherokee would have had about four hours flying time. The Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Christchurch Airport was

notified when it became obvious the aircraft must have gone down.

The centre’s publicity officer, Squadron Leader Don Haggitt, said the men had flown into bad weather on the return leg of the journey. The weather became rougher and at 11.15 a.m., while over the Ada Pass, the two men decided to return to Reefton.

While turning, the aircraft crashed into a mountain side. The two men were able to escape the wreckage before it burnt out. Miss Sharon Ackland said

last evening that her brother was in isolation at the hospital because of third-degree burns to his back. He also had two black eyes, cuts about the face and bruises

Mr Bowie’s injuries included burns to the legs. The fathers of the two men travelled from Christchurch yesterday to be with their sons.

Miss Ackland said Stephen had told his father the aircraft had been hit by a downdraught while above the Ada Pass. Mr Bowie had been flying the aircraft at the time, probably because the weather was so rough. The crashed plane had started to bum as the semiconscious men dragged themselves from the wreckage. Mr Ackland had been able to get out of the plane first, closely followed by Mr Bowie.

The fire quickly took hold of the plane moments after the men escaped. In spite of their injuries the men were able to walk through the rugged terrain and were able to find the

road. Miss Ackiand said her family had lived in Arthur’s Pass and her brother had been on many tramps through the bush. , Her brother had completed about 200 hours Hying. He was to sit his commercial pilot’s licence in February. Both men were experienced pilots. The Piper Cherokee was one of several owned by the Canterbury Aero Club. Both men are members of the club.

The club’s manager, Mr Bruce Fulton, said he was relieved when he heard the men were all right. Although he was not aware of all the details, Mr Fulton said it seemed both men had done exactly what they were meant to do after the crash.

During such a flight the instructor usually gives the student an “off course problem” to solve which could mean a slight change in the original flight plan. Mr Fulton said he did not know if that had happened before the crash.