From the SMH. Good news ending on Christmas Day.
Plane crash rescue
Email Printer friendly version Normal font Large font Peter Hawkins
December 25, 2008 - 9:17AM
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Two men have been found alive after their plane crashed in rugged bushland in the Upper Hunter area of NSW yesterday afternoon.
An NRMA Careflight crew spotted the survivors, aged 38 and 32 about 10am this morning, standing next to the plane waving to the helicopter crew.
Their single engine Cessna 172 was found north-west of Merriwa, in the Great Dividing Range, upside down in trees, said a Careflight spokesman.
The two men were winched out of the ravine by the Careflight helicopter and taken to hospital.
It is not known if the two men are injured at this stage.
The CareFlight spokesman said they were alerted to the wreckage on the side of a steep ravine by a property owner and were able to search the area when cloud lifted shortly before 10am.
Police said the two-seater Cessna crashed while flying 380km from Mudgee to Glenn Innes in the state's north.
About 4.30pm on Wednesday a truck driver received a distress call on his UHF radio from the pilot of a light plane.
During the call the pilot provided co-ordinates in the Glenn Innes area, but a search by local police, ambulance paramedics, the Volunteer Rescue Association and helicopters failed to find the crashed plane.
The search on last night was called off due to poor light and dangerous conditions, police and Careflight said.
The bad weather, including low cloud and rain, may have caused the crash.
Police and rescue crews resumed the search at first light this morning and at the request of AusSAR, the search area was focused on the ranges which initially were covered in cloud.
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