Piper forced down in paddock

Press, 21 January 1986, Page 9

Piper forced down in paddock

PA Nelson A light aircraft made a forced landing in a paddock near Collingwood at the week-end 20 minutes after the pilot called Wellington air traffic control to report engine trouble. A farmer, Mr Len Win, heard the aircraft, a Piper Arrow Mark 4 which he thought was “a sick motorbike going past.” He said that the aircraft seemed to drop out of the sky, landing parallel to State highway 60 in a 350 m long paddock, 30km north of Takaka. The incident happened on Saturday during a flight from Auckland to Takaka with a parcel for an oil rig. Constable lan McKeown, said that the problem appeared to be a dropped exhaust valve. The pilot, Mr Brian Bedwell, of Bell Block, had reported his position and headed inland. The engine problem worsened and he landed at 3.00 p.m. in clear and windless conditions.

He put the plane down about 15m past a shallow ditch near one end of the paddock. The machine came to rest with oil trailing from the cowling. A helicopter on a New Plymouth to Nelson flight had been diverted by air traffic control and followed the Piper Arrow down. The pilot and the passenger were uninjured and left by hehcopter.

The registered owner of the aircraft, Mr Ross Graham, of New Plymouth said on Sunday evening that he did not know the full details of the forced landing but would arrange for the plane to be inspected. The Piper Arrow would need “1400 and 1600 ft of runway to take off,” he said.