Plane Crash No Worry To Rugby Fans
Nine New Zealand rugby fans were en route to an international tournament in Wellington, flying in a 60-year-old vintage warbird — a former Air Force de Havilland Devon — when something went awry. Passenger Dave McGall told the New Zealand Herald the aircraft was about 200 feet off the ground, headed for the runway at Ohakea Air Base, when “everything seemed to go wrong.” As the airplane touched down, the landing gear collapsed, part of a wing was damaged and the propellers hit the pavement. “It happened that quick that we didn’t even really know it was happening,” said passenger Ian Barnsdall. “We got a bit of a fright.” Nobody was hurt, and all nine of the fans made it to the tournament (after a quick stop for some nerve-soothing libations) and were cheered by the fans for their fortitude.
Nine New Zealand rugby fans were en route to an international tournament in Wellington, flying in a 60-year-old vintage warbird -- a former Air Force de Havilland Devon -- when something went awry. Passenger Dave McGall told the New Zealand Herald the aircraft was about 200 feet off the ground, headed for the runway at Ohakea Air Base, when "everything seemed to go wrong." As the airplane touched down, the landing gear collapsed, part of a wing was damaged and the propellers hit the pavement. "It happened that quick that we didn't even really know it was happening," said passenger Ian Barnsdall. "We got a bit of a fright." Nobody was hurt, and all nine of the fans made it to the tournament (after a quick stop for some nerve-soothing libations) and were cheered by the fans for their fortitude. They were offered sideline seats, free food and drinks, and their smiling faces were shown on the big screen as the audience of 35,000 heard the story of what they went through to attend the game.