A light aircraft crashed onto a golf course in Sydney’s northern beaches, leaving two men injured but miraculously alive. The Piper Cherokee went down at Mona Vale Golf Club on Sunday afternoon as players enjoyed a round.
Shocking footage shows the plane tumbling out of the sky before slamming into the ground, prompting terrified screams from onlookers. Emergency services rushed to the scene and pulled two men, both in their 50s, from the wreckage.
They were taken to Royal North Shore Hospital, where they remain in a stable condition. Despite the plane ploughing directly into the course, no golfers or bystanders were hurt.
Flight records indicate the aircraft departed Camden Airport at around 1pm local time and was bound for Wollongong when it ran into difficulty. The cause of the crash has not yet been confirmed.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said it has begun gathering evidence to determine what led to the accident.
An ATSB spokesperson said: “We are collecting information about the incident and assessing the available evidence.”
The crash has stunned locals, many of whom witnessed the terrifying descent first-hand.
One golfer, who asked not to be named, described the moment the plane came down.
He said: “We heard the engine sputtering and then saw it losing height fast. It was clear it wasn’t going to make it. People were yelling for everyone to get clear.”
Amazingly, the aircraft avoided hitting anyone on the ground, which emergency services described as “incredibly fortunate.”
The Sydney crash comes only weeks after another light aircraft tragedy overseas.
In July, a small plane plunged onto a highway in Italy’s Brescia province, bursting into flames on impact. Both people on board were killed instantly, and traffic was suspended in both directions.
