The trainee pilot and his mentor are now back home safely after emerging from the crash with just minor cuts and bruises.
Brian Welch, a trainee, was piloting the Piper Cherokee yesterday, guided by his instructor, Ross Curracan.
This morning’s golf tee times proceeded as planned, though there was an unusual obstacle on the course.
The maintenance team had a larger task at hand than usual.
The plane’s owner, Simon Thomas, was attending the Swans game when he received the news.
“The first thing was to make sure they were alright, which was the main priority, and then we handled the rest,” he stated. “It’s been a hectic experience.”
He only bought the plane last October last year for his 19-year-old son to learn to fly in.
Airspeed Flight School Shellharbour praised “the instructors’ skill and ability to keep a cool head in a critical situation”.
The plane is damaged beyond repair, and what’s left of it is going to be hauled away for the scrap heap.
Heavy machinery was brought in to lug the twisted 900-kilograms of metal off the course so the damaged grass can start to be patched up.
Thomas said he’ll “have to talk to his wife” about if he’s going to replace it.
